"The son of a Mississippi policeman finds a boy living in hiding in the wilderness and tries to help him without giving away his secret"-- When his Mississippi policeman gives Sam a fishing boat, he uses the boat to disappear for hours at time. Exploring the swampy surroundings of his bayou home, Sam finds a boy living on his own in the wilderness. Davey gives evasive explanation as to why he's on his own, and Sam makes efforts to help him. But this...

Twelve-year-old Fred (never Winifred) is being fostered by the eccentric but kind Margery Dawson while her mother is dealing with addiction problems, and mostly Fred is determined not to form any attachments to anybody--until the condition of Toby, the abused dog next door, captures first her attention and then her heart, and somehow it becomes increasingly difficult to stay detached from the people who are helping her

Depending on an older sister who protected her when their mother went to prison and their mother's boyfriend committed a terrible act, 10-year-old Della tries to figure out what to do when her older sister attempts suicide. "Ten-year-old Della can rely on her older sister, Suki, for anything, but when Suki attempts suicide, Della must seek help and speak out about the sexual abuse they've both suffered at the hands of their mother's boyfriend"--...