If you could trade your biggest burden for someone else’s, would you do it? Five teenagers sit around a bonfire in the middle of the New Mexico desert. They don’t know it yet, but they are about to make the biggest sacrifice of their lives. Lo has a family history of MS, and is starting to come down with all the symptoms. Thomas, a former child soldier from Liberia, is plagued by traumatic memories of his war-torn past. Kaya would do anything to feel physical pain, but a rare condition called CIP keeps her numb. Ellen can’t remember who she was before she started doing drugs. Kit lost his girlfriend in a car accident and now he just can’t shake his newfound fear of death. When they trade totems as a symbol of shedding and adopting one another’s sorrows, they think it’s only an exercise. But in the morning, they wake to find their burdens gone…and replaced with someone else’s. As the reality of the ritual unfolds, this unlikely group of five embarks on a week of beautiful, terrifying experiences that all culminate in one perfect truth: In the end, your soul is stronger than your burdens. "Utterly original, haunting, and honest, Strayhorn's literally infectious story of fear and hope will change the way you view your flaws forever." --Una LaMarche, critically acclaimed author of Like No Other and Five Summers
... Owen Wister, James Fenimore Cooper, B. M. Bower, J. Allan Dunn, Robert E. Howard, ... and when Forrest admitted having the widow Timberlake's beef herd, ...
Frost would kill the last of the blackberries and gooseberries that I'd found for us to subsist on. The acorns were long gone. I'd been lucky to find a crab ...
... Cinderellas turning to Vasilisas, Snow Queens into Father Frost, ... Two she'd heard from her own father, “The Mirror of Matsuyama” and “Kaguya-hime,” ...
"A tender and honest examination of love, longing, and loyalty in the face of modern war."—Laura Ruby, author of Bad Apple "While He Was Away is a wonderful love story with writing that is skillful and true."—Amy Timberlake, author of ...
Table of Contents A good deal of water had run under Beulah Bridge since Letty ... and the third, Deacon Todd's eldest son, had somehow or other met a siren ...
Table of Contents A good deal of water had run under Beulah Bridge since Letty ... and the third, Deacon Todd's eldest son, had somehow or other met a siren ...
“Casey is fairly withdrawn now, so don't be discouraged if she won't talk.” Andi puts a hand on my shoulder. “I'm sure your presence here will be a comfort to her.” “I hope so.” What if Casey doesn't even want to see me? “Let's go.
Casey sets the dining room table and eats with us, telling stories about Luke that make us laugh and make Luke's face grow redder and redder. “If I'd known all my deepest secrets were going to be spilled tonight, I'd have suggested we ...
A classic science fiction novel from bestselling author Neal Shusterman is back in print.
Deftly entwining swashbuckling action and quiet magic, Maggie Tokuda-Hall's inventive debut novel conjures a diverse cast of characters seeking mastery over their fates while searching for answers to big questions about identity, power, and ...