Most Popular Books by Norma Fox Mazer

Norma Fox Mazer''s remarkable story of two sisters fighting to survive against a world without caring.In the sad, shabby trailer where Em Thurkill lived her first fourteen years, suffering her father''s alcoholic rages and her mother''s deathly silence, and in the three she lived trapped with her violent, unstable sister, there seems more than enough to end even the dream of hope.Yet Em Thurkill''s story is a story of how hope outlives brutality. It is a story of one girl''s sweetness, and almost unbearable pain. Heartbreaking, mesmerizing, and ultimately transcendent, this novel is a tribute to the astonishing resilience of the human soul.

Vicki wishes she could solve her problems as easily as she can arrange words into a poem Vicki Marnet has two wonderful big brothers who are completely regular people. They like sports, chess, and the student senate, and are totally normal—unlike Vicky, who feels in her heart that she''s different. For one thing, she writes poetry for fun. She plays with sonnets, pantoums, sestinas—all kinds of stanzas and rhymes, anything to take her mind off what''s happening at home. Vicki''s dad lost his job, and since he can''t find another one, her family is moving to the city. They''re selling their big house, moving into a tiny apartment, and facing troubles that Vicki has never known before. Ashamed and slow to make friends at her new school, Vicki puts her thoughts down in verse as she makes a new place for herself—one that''s very much her very own.

After discovering her grandfather is dying, 15-year-old Rachel gets to know him better than ever before and finds the experience bittersweet.

Both overlooked in the middle of a big, noisy family, Jenny and her grandpa will always have each other to confide in . . . right? No one in Jenny Pennoyer''s family understands her at all—no one, that is, except her grandfather, who lives in an apartment in the basement of her family''s home. Jenny and her grandfather have been close ever since she was born, when Grandpa, newly widowed, found that a baby was just the thing he needed to get back on his feet. But as Jenny''s family grows and they''re all pinched together in one house, her parents become less and less patient with Grandpa''s desire to be independent. Jenny feels like his only defender, the only one who sees him as a person with a mind of his own. As Jenny grows increasingly protective, Grandpa''s determination and Jenny''s love for him will lead them on an adventure together that their family never expected.

In this suspenseful and compelling story, Newbery Honor author Mazer ("After the Rain") offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a predator.

Going along with the crowd can have shattering consequences Why does everyone always want you to make so many choices? Pizza or burgers, swimming or a movie, one friend or another, yes or no. For Rollo Wingate, who''s always been the biggest guy in school, sometimes it''s easier to relax and let someone else take the lead. After all, when he and his two best friends get together, they''re always on the same page—which is probably why he goes along with it when the other boys target Valerie Michon at school. Every time they see her, bad things just . . . happen. At first it''s just a taunt here, a tiny insult there. But things keeps escalating, and finally, the situation turns into something much worse. Rollo knows that a line has been crossed, and he struggles to make sense of how things could have gone so wrong so quickly. Maybe for the first time, he''s going to have to figure it out for himself.

Despite their different backgrounds, Sarabeth, a teenager living with her mother in a trailer and transferring to a new school, makes friends with Grant and her affluent friends, including troubled Patty who shares a painful secret about her uncle.

How is it possible that the one guy Jenny falls for is totally off limits? March isn''t usually Jenny''s month. For one thing, it''s too dark and gray. For another, her sister, Gail, died two years ago in March after being hit by a drunk driver, a blow her family hasn''t yet recovered from. But March is also when she first sees Rob. He''s new in school, and although Jenny doesn''t know who he is yet, she can''t look away when they pass each other in the halls. She knows there''s something between them, and he seems to know it too, until a chance conversation reveals something terrible: Rob''s mother was the driver who killed Gail. Even as Jenny tries to pull away from Rob, she''s secretly glad about his stubborn insistence that they be friends despite their pasts. If Jenny and Rob become friends—or more—is she betraying her family? Can she and Rob find a way to transcend the tragedies in both their pasts and hold on to each other?

Escaping from the terrors of World War II, Karin gets the chance for a new life in America—but she can''t stop thinking about her mother, who she left behind in France Karin Levi''s life in Paris was happy and normal. She never dreamed she would find herself hiding in a cramped attic with her family, sitting silently while police went from house to house hunting for Jews and turning them over to German soldiers. Hopeless and scared, only Maman''s loving smile and caring touch give Karin the strength to keep going. But soon, Karin and her older brother, Marc, must flee the attic, crossing land and sea in search of safety, and leaving Maman behind. Longing for her mother and a return to their happy life, Karin expresses her love in letters she won''t be able to send until the war is over. Dearest Maman . . .

It''s little sister vs. big in this fresh take on a classic struggle by a master storyteller.Everything ten year-old Sprig wants, her older sister Dakota already has. Everything Sprig does, Dakota does better. And anytime Sprig complains, Dakota just grins and calls her a baby. It''s enough to make a kid wish her sister would disappear.But in a year when Sprig''s father is away, her favorite neighbor is ill, and the class bully is acting almost like, well, a boyfriend, Sprig discovers that allies come in unexpected shapes. Sometimes they''re even related to you.

Eight extraordinary stories of heartbreak, growing up, and the importance of finding your voice Everything changes eventually. Jessie Granatstein doesn''t think she''ll have anything to say in the journal her teacher asks her to write—until suddenly, the words come tumbling out. Zoe Eberhardt has been raised and cherished by the strong, powerful women in her family, but when she turns fourteen, she starts to see that she''ll soon have to establish an identity of her own. Marylee is quiet and thoughtful—unlike her confident, sparkling mother. But when she sees something she''s not supposed to, she realizes it might be time to start speaking out. For the young women in these stories, growing up may be complicated, but it always leads in surprising new directions.

Some families you''re born into, some you have to find for yourself Sarabeth Silver knows that her mom is different. Jane Silver is younger, prettier, harder working, and poorer—making just enough money cleaning houses for her and Sarabeth to live in a little trailer. It''s always been just the two of them, but when tragedy suddenly strikes, Sarabeth will have to figure things out on her own. Sarabeth has never known either of her parents'' families, who refused to help when Jane got pregnant at sixteen. Is it worth trying to find them after they rejected her parents so long ago? She knows her friends would be willing to help, but how can she lean on them when what she really wants is the open hearts of relatives she''s not even sure exist? And if they are out there, how will they feel about Sarabeth after all these years?

When a high school senior falls in love with the girl he is supposed to be fixing up with his best friend, the ensuing experiences profoundly change the relationships each has with the others.

Landing a prestigious summer internship on a Pulitzer Prizewinning newspaper seems ideal for Chris, who''s glad to be taken seriously as a writer and to get away from his blue-collar father''s expectations. For Vicki, it''s a chance to grow up, shine in the big time, and maybe even get a scholarship so she won''t end up stuck in a dead-end job like her mother. For Elizabeth, it means time to distance herself from the suffocating relationship she has with her boyfriend. For Faith, it''s a way to forget the past and try to be just a normal teenager. Weeks of work and play wear on their relationships: What do they expect of each other? What do they expect of themselves? "From the Paperback edition.

Jessie''s father has always been a missing piece of her life—but if she were to find him, how would he feel about her? Jessie Wells thinks four is a good number. Things with four sides are sturdy and strong. A box, a chair, a room with four walls. But ever since the day Jessie''s dad left, Jessie, her mother, and Aunt Zis have been a triangle—three-sided, though solidly linked. Jessie has heard the story: Her beautiful young mother had married a prince who disappeared one day, so she had raised her daughter with the help of Aunt Zis. But lately, the picture in Jessie''s mind seems incomplete. Who is James Wells? she wonders. He must be more than just a deadbeat dad who deserted his wife and child, and Jessie is determined to find out, even if she has to call every Wells in the phone book—and there are a lot of them. But if Jessie finds her father and asks him all her questions, will she like the answers?

How''s a girl supposed to know when she''s in love—and more importantly, how does she get out of it? One remarkable older sister would be bad enough, but Karen Freed has two: Liz, a beautiful poet, and Tobi, compellingly intense and argumentative. Karen knows she couldn''t possibly compete, but it would be nice to be known for something of her own. The three have been inseparable all through Karen''s childhood, but now her sisters have moved into a world that Karen can''t yet share, and their blossoming romances make her feel left out. Karen wishes some of their romance would rub off on her. She has Davey, but he''s more best friend than love interest, and despite his many advances, Karen knows it wasn''t meant to be. Is something wrong with her? Will she even know when love comes her way? Then she falls head over heels for someone she definitely can''t have: Scott, Liz''s boyfriend. Her feelings cause a rift between her and Liz, one that Karen might not be able to fix. But if anything has ever brought these three sisters together, it''s coming to one another''s rescue.

When Toni''s luck runs out, real life comes calling Toni and Julie were both born right after their parents moved in next to one another, and the two girls have hardly been separated since. Julie is tall and outspoken and stands up for herself, but really she''s just trying to survive until she turns eighteen so she can move out before her parents'' constant fighting drives her crazy. Meanwhile, Toni, small and shy, has the perfect family: no financial worries and two parents who obviously adore her. Compared to Julie, Toni knows she''s lucky. But when Julie''s mom moves her family to San Francisco for the summer, Toni faces new challenges. Some changes are fun, like getting to know the cutest boy in school—but some, like discovering that maybe your family isn''t as perfect as you thought, aren''t quite so easy.

Nina always thought that if just one person would love her perfectly and completely, she''d never be alone again Nina''s the first person in her family to leave home and go to college. Maybe that''s why she feels so isolated once she gets there, especially compared to some of the other students—like her roommates, who have been friends for so long they can finish one another''s sentences. But it seems like her narrow, small-town past hasn''t prepared her for this life in which everyone else knows things about the world that she doesn''t. Afraid of falling behind in her classes, all Nina does is study and wonder if she''ll always be this lonely. But then she meets Mitch. He introduces himself from the top of some scaffolding, taking a break from painting the house next door to hers. Their growing relationship frees Nina from her self-doubt—finally, someone to love who loves her back! Their togetherness is perfect . . . but can it stay that way forever?