Realistic Fiction For Kids

How do you cope when the impossible happens? Poppy Parker's world is collapsing. Life was so safe and easy before her Grandma Beth had a stroke and ended up in a nursing home. Now she's desperately homesick and struggling to cope with life in a children's center. Worried her grandma may need help, Poppy runs away to visit her, never expecting to witness a serious crime that lands her under the temporary protection of the lead detective. Fearing that the police will return her to the children's center once she's no longer useful, Poppy hesitates to help them identify the suspect, focusing ...

It was never supposed to happen ... Rylee Willet feels like she's caught in quicksand. She's always dealt with anxiety, but the fact that her dad's a highly respected fireman bolsters her shaky self-esteem and makes things okay. But her world turns upside down when her best friend takes part in a reckless prank that leaves her dad paralyzed, effectively destroying his firefighting career. Lacking the courage to confess her own part in the tragedy, Rylee places the blame squarely on the shoulders of her best friend and cuts her out of her life. But when unexpected circumstances bring the ...

What's worse, betraying your best friend, or losing your home? Poppy Parker is between a rock and a hard spot. Her new life with Detective Trey Brannigan and his mom is going great until a shy, lonely neighbor girl crashes her bicycle right outside their front yard. As the girls develop a friendship, Poppy is stunned to learn that Presley is harboring a dangerous secret that could cost an innocent life if revealed. Fighting her instinct to confide in Trey, Poppy nervously promises to keep quiet. But as more details emerge, she's soon facing an impossible choice--expose the secret at the ...

A homeless girl, a devoted dog, and the incredible risk they take to stay together. An unforgettable story of love, family, and bonds that can never be broken. Shannon O'Reilly's whole world is collapsing. Life was great before Mom died, before she ended up living in a car with her little dog Boone and her Aunt Junie. Now it's truck stop showers and soup kitchen meals and the crushing burden of keeping everything a secret. She's tried hard to be patient, but when a reckless act lands her aunt in jail and Boone is taken away, Shannon's had enough. Escaping her foster home, she springs Boone ...