New Releases by Lutricia Clifton

When work takes Cassie''s mom abroad, Cassie is stuck living with her dad in his Winnebago in Palo Duro Canyon State Park for the summer. She loves her dad, but he''s different since the divorce, and for that matter, so is she. She''s gotten used to a different lifestyle that''s not exactly compatible with the rougher living in the Canyon, where her dad is a handyman. She misses the conveniences of city living, and she''s not too sure about the kids here. They seem awkward. Uncool. And, in the case of mysterious X, possibly dangerous. When several arrowheads go missing from an archeological dig site on park property, Cassie immediately has a suspect in mind. But when she starts jotting down clues in a detective journal and putting the pieces together, Cassie feels uneasy. Have her assumptions about other people led her down the wrong path?

Twelve-year-old Sam dreams of owning a purebred puppy, convinced they are superior to a mongrel like Max, the family''s ancient pet. Smelly, disheveled, and affectionate, Max is a walking miracle. Near death''s door when Sam''s sister rescued him, Max survived and seems immortal. That''s too bad, for Sam''s mother says no new dog if it''s going to bother Max. Undaunted, Sam decides to save enough money to buy a puppy anyway and takes a job walking dogs in CountryWood, the fancy gated community in his rural town. There he clashes with Justin, a rich, pampered "burbie" who owns just the kind of dog Sam wants: a sable German shepherd. Justin is determined to get Sam fired and destroy his dream. Their feud, echoing the conflict between rich city transplants and the townies, escalates into violence. This heartwarming story of a boy and his dogs is filled with memorable characters--both human and canine.

Twelve-year-old Frankie Joe Huckaby can''t find anything good to say about Clearview, Illinois, where he must spend the next ten months living with a father he knows only through birthday cards, a stepmother he didn''t know existed, and four half brothers intent on making him the "freak" of the town. When life in Clearview becomes unbearable, Frankie Joe hatches a plan to ride his bike back to the Lone Star Trailer Park in Laredo, Texas. For that he needs money, and so he opens Frankie Joe''s Freaky Fast Delivery Service. But Frankie Joe hasn''t counted on quirky clients, unpredictable winter weather, and his equally unpredictable new family.