New Releases by Ellen Wittlinger

Twelve-year-old movie-loving Maisie is in need of a distraction from her current romantic dilemma when her Uncle Walt comes to stay with her family after being hurt on the set of the movie he''s filming in Hollywood. Maisie''s best friend, Cyrus, has been hanging out a lot with Gary Hackett, whose last-name sounds to Maisie like a cat barfing up a hairball. When it seems as if Hackett might like Maisie romantically, she''s none too pleased, and Cyrus is even less impressed. Uncle Walt has a way of pointing Maisie in the right direction, and Maisie''s love of movies also keeps her centered. Heading to the local independent theater on Saturdays to see old movies helps Maisie stay grounded as she struggles with growing up, family tensions, a grandma who seems to be losing her memory, and a love triangle she never expected.

Tackling divorce and suicide with a warmth and sensitive humor that refuses to be weighed down, Someone Else''s Shoes chronicles a road trip that unites three young people in search of family and acceptance. Fans of Sharon Draper, Jo Knowles and Counting by Sevens will be moved by this tale of what brings us together when things fall apart. Twelve-year-old Izzy, a budding stand-up comic, is already miserable about her father''s new marriage and the new baby on the way. Then ten-year-old cousin Oliver and his father, Uncle Henderson, move in with Izzy and her mom because Oliver''s mother committed suicide only a few months ago. And to make matters worse, Ben, the rebellious 16-year-old son of Izzy''s mother''s boyfriend, winds up staying with them, too. But when Uncle Henderson--who has been struggling with depression after his wife''s suicide--disappears, Ben, Izzy, and Oliver set aside their differences and hatch a plan to find him. As the threesome travels in search of Henderson, they find a surrogate family in each other.

They are four best friends who''ve shared joy and secrets, love and memories, and since the beginning, Lorna was the one who held them all together. Then, the unthinkable happens. During a storm, Lorna is swept out to sea, leaving the three survivors with nothing to cling to except grief and questions. How did this happen? Why was Lorna in such danger, and was she alone? When her body is never found, the mystery deepens. Did Lorna really die? Or has she made a crazy bid for freedom? Inevitably, the dynamic of the four friends'' everyday life is changed forever. But the pain and confusion go deepest for Jackie, who must face her feelings of unrequited love for Lorna''s boyfriend as well as try to put to rest her own questions about Lorna''s presumed death. Does one of the boys in their inner circle know more than he''s letting on? Will Lorna''s fate ever be discovered? And how will Jackie become her own person in the wake of a wound that may never close? In this beautifully written, intense novel, one girl has to travel through loss and disillusionment to make sense of her own future. "Ellen Wittlinger''s Hard Love was one of the books that inspired me to write young adult novels." ~John Green, author, The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns

A summer disappointment turns into a cross-country discovery. Robin can''t believe it when her boyfriend, Chris, tells her that his parents have enrolled him in a summer program in Rome. It''s their last summer together before he goes away to college, and now they won''t even have that time together. It feels like the worst thing that''s ever happened to her. Since Chris is leaving, Robin agrees to join her aunt and cousins on a cross-country road trip, in spite of her reservations -- she and her younger cousins have never really gotten along, and since their father''s death they''ve become even more problematic than before. Soon the four of them are zigzagging through the West on an eye-opening journey. They explore parts of the country Robin never dreamed existed -- and she discovers inner resources she never imagined she had.

Nobody should have a night like this... 8:30 P.M.: It''s been four years since Michelle was killed. Leo can''t stand to be at home with his mom -- she''s crazy with rage. He''s got anger of his own and pictures of his dead sister he can''t get out of his head. 9:00 P.M.: Bree parks her mom''s car and locks the doors. She''s in a bad part of town, but she knows the bar has to be around here somewhere. All she wants is to escape for a while and have a good time. 9:15 P.M.: Leo, out for a drive to get away from his mom, spots Bree. Why is this girl alive while Michelle''s not? By 6:30 A.M., when their long night is over, everything has changed

One summer can change everything... Kenyon Baker is not happy about moving to Cape Cod halfway through high school, but his parents have decided to retire there to run a summer cottage colony. At least they''ll let him have his own darkroom, provided he helps prepare the colony for guests. The early hours and hard work compound Ken''s unhappiness, but just when he thinks he''ll never make it through the summer, he meets Razzle Penney. Skinny, buzz-cut Razzle isn''t afraid to act differently from everyone else, and she simultaneously becomes Ken''s friend and his muse, as he takes a series of inspiring photos of her. However, Razzle also introduces Ken to beautiful, aggressive Harley, causing a rift in their friendship. Just when it seems things can''t get more complicated, Razzle''s mother breezes into town, and Razzle learns more about her past than she wants to know....

Told entirely via email, instant messages, letters, and postcards, this novel tells of two teens'' long-distance relationship after they meet at a college visit during senior year of high school. "I''m not picking Cartwright just because I met Julian there. For all I know he''ll change his mind and not even go! Although that would be a shame because I want him to be the father of my firstborn child. KIDDING! :-}" While on a college visit, Chloe meets Julian, another prospective freshman, and infatuated, the two high school seniors begin a long-distance relationship. Chloe is thrilled that she''ll have a boyfriend at college, although she doesn''t know how to break the news to Eli, her best friend whom she''s sort of dating. As Chloe and Julian prepare to meet again, they must face the question of whether their relationship is based on who they really are or who they imagine each other to be.

"You shouldn''t expect much of him. He''s...he''s damaged." Damaged. What a horrible word. Like a car after a wreck...It was how I''d been feeling myself. Slightly ruined, a big mess. Lately there have been a lot of guys in Sandpiper''s life. In the past year, she''s gone through eight or nine different boyfriends -- if you can call them that. She knows the boys are only using her for one thing, but she is using them, too. The Walker is different from the others. He is kind and gentle. Mysterious. And most of all, he is the first guy who doesn''t want Sandy for all the usual reasons. In fact, she''s not sure if he wants her for any reason. But she knows she wants to be around him. He makes her feel safe, when all the other parts of her life -- like her family and friends -- just make her feel awful. And when one of Sandy''s exes starts harassing her, the Walker may be the only person who can help Sandy confront her uneasy past -- and steady herself for a different future.

Angela Katz-McNair has never felt quite right as a girl, but it’s a shock to everyone when she cuts her hair short, buys some men’s clothes, and announces she’d like to be called by a new name, Grady. Grady is happy about his decision to finally be true to himself, despite the practical complications, like which gym locker room to use. And though he didn’t expect his family and friends to be happy about his decision, he also didn’t expect kids at school to be downright nasty about it. But as the victim of some cruel jokes, Grady also finds unexpected allies in this thought-provoking novel that explores struggles any reader can relate to.

With keen insight into teenage life, Ellen Wittlinger delivers a story of adolescence that is fierce and funny -- and ultimately transforming -- even as it explores the pain of growing up. Since his parents'' divorce, John''s mother hasn''t touched him, her new fiancé wants them to move away, and his father would rather be anywhere than at Friday night dinner with his son. It''s no wonder John writes articles like "Interview with the Stepfather" and "Memoirs from Hell." The only release he finds is in homemade zines like the amazing Escape Velocity by Marisol, a self-proclaimed "Puerto Rican Cuban Yankee Lesbian." Haning around the Boston Tower Records for the new issue of Escape Velocity, John meets Marisol and a hard love is born. While at first their friendship is based on zines, dysfuntional families, and dreams of escape, soon both John and Marisol begin to shed their protective shells. Unfortunately, John mistakes this growing intimacy for love, and a disastrous date to his junior prom leaves that friendship in ruins. Desperately hoping to fix things, John convinces Marisol to come with him to a zine conference on Cape Cod. On the sandy beaches by the Bluefish Wharf Inn, John realizes just how hard love can be.

Marisol Guzman has deferred college for a year to accomplish two things: She will write a novel and she will fall in love. How hard could that be? She gets her very own apartment (with her high school best friend as roommate) and a waitressing job at a classic Harvard Square coffeehouse. When she enrolls in an adult education class -- "How to Write Your First Novel" -- there are two big surprises waiting for her: John Galardi, aka "Gio," a fellow zine writer who fell head over heels for her last spring (despite the fact that she''s a lesbian) and her instructor, Olivia Frost, the most exquisitely beautiful woman she''s ever seen. But as Marisol ventures into what seems to be her storybook romance with Olivia, things start to go off track. Between the ups and downs of her new relationship, her strained friendship with Lee (a newly out lesbian who is crushing big-time on Marisol), and her roommate''s new boyfriend (who is equally afraid of Marisol and their cat) moving in, Marisol starts losing sight of her goals. Is she too blinded by love to see the lies? In this long-anticipated companion novel to the Printz Honor Book Hard Love, which critics called "A bittersweet tale of self-expression and the struggle to achieve self-love," Ellen Wittlinger offers a novel just as emotionally honest and deeply felt.

When Kenyon Baker moves with his parents to Cape Cod, he''s resigned himself to a quiet summer concentrating on his photography. But the town has a few surprises for such a sleepy place . . . like Razzle. She is unlike any girl he''s ever met, she sees beauty in the strangest things and is totally unselfconscious in front of the camera. But their friendship comes under threat when beautiful, boy-crazy Harley decides she wants to become Ken''s model. And when Razzle''s mother comes to town, the fireworks really begin - she has more secrets than any daughter would want to know or be able to cope with.