New Releases by M. E. Kerr

These 15 short stories by a writer the New York Times Book Review has called “one of the grand masters of young adult fiction” capture our fears, yearnings, loneliness, self-doubts, and universal need for love and acceptance M. E. Kerr’s pioneering young adult literature has gained a devoted following for fearlessly breaking rules and confronting conformity. In Edge, her trademark gifts of pulling apart relationships, exposing real emotion, and conveying what it means to grow up are on full display. From handling a teenage girl’s coming out in “We Might as Well All Be Strangers” to asking philosophical questions about God, life, and death in “The Sweet Perfume of Goodbye” to parodying social norms in “Do You Want My Opinion?,” this is a funny, moving, and brave anthology about faith, friendship, family ties, prom night, an unusual act of heroism, and staying true to yourself.

Two teenagers struggle to resist the pressure to lead the lives their parents have fashioned for them.

World War II comes to a small Pennsylvania town in this thought-provoking novel about a peace-loving Quaker family War may be raging in Europe, but in Sweet Creek, Pennsylvania, peace is being waged. Bud Shoemaker is vehemently opposed to the war when he registers for the draft as a conscientious objector. No one except his Quaker family shares Bud’s pacifist views—although his thirteen-year-old brother, Jubal, wonders what kind of Quaker he’ll be when it comes time for him to enlist. Jubal loves and believes in his brother, even if the whole town—including Daria Daniel, the girl Jubal secretly loves—doesn’t. With everyone calling Bud a coward, Jubal’s family is slowly being torn apart. But when an unexpected, vicious act forces Jubal to grapple with man’s penchant for violence, he has to grow up fast in a community in which killing becomes the measure of a man. Slap Your Sides is a riveting tale of courage and conscience that delivers a timeless, universal message about what makes a hero and what it really means to be a patriot. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

From the Margaret A. Edwards Award–winning author of Deliver Us from Evie comes a novel about a gay teenager who discovers a different kind of love during an unforgettable summer in the Hamptons I’d always think of it as the summer that I loved a girl . . . Seventeen-year-old Lang Penner and his mother are spending the summer in the caretaker’s cottage at Roundelay, the sprawling East Hampton estate of legendary rocker Ben Nevada. Lang passes the time walking on the beach and hoping for a glimpse of his idol. When they finally meet, Nevada is very different from the man Lang imagined. He finds himself confiding in the retired star about his homosexuality. When Nevada hears Lang’s secret, he figures Lang is a safe bet to show the seventeen-year-old daughter of some friends from France a good time in the Hamptons. This was supposed to be the summer of Lang’s coming out. He even has a boyfriend, Alex, a twenty-year-old actor living in Manhattan. The last thing he expects is to become infatuated with a girl. “Hello,” I Lied is a story about all kinds of love—from friendship to physical attraction to hero worship—as a teenager bravely confronts his sexuality. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

A Long Island teenager reunites with her older sister in a novel about family, sibling rivalry, and the love you didn’t know you were missing Fifteen-year-old Suzy Slade’s parents are divorced. Now Suzy lives with her mother in a beautiful house on the ocean in Seaville, Long Island. Her gorgeous older sister, Chicago, lives with their father in New York City. At least, she did. Chicago just roared into town on her brand-new Harley. With her sister’s return, Suzy’s whole world changes. She becomes caught up in Chicago’s life—and a secret affair she wishes she didn’t know about. Her dad’s been keeping secrets, too, and soon Suzy discovers the reason for the bad blood between him and her sister: his new girlfriend, Enid, who’s only two years older than Chicago. Then there’s Suzy’s teacher, Miss Spring, who’s pining for a lost love. Somewhere in the mix is Suzy herself, who’s in danger of losing her own identity. It isn’t until someone close to Suzy disappears that she realizes it’s time to start living her own life. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

Sixteen-year-old Buddy Boyle makes a shattering discovery about his family in this powerful and poignant novel by award-winning author M. E. Kerr Buddy Boyle lives with his parents and younger brother in a small house on a half-acre of land in undesirable Seaville, New York. Skye Pennington spends her summers on the opposite end of town on five acres with a view of the ocean. Buddy’s dad is a police sergeant; Skye’s is the head of a multi-million-dollar industry. But none of that stops Buddy and Skye from falling in love. To impress her, Buddy takes Skye to visit his aristocratic grandfather in Montauk. Frank Trenker is Buddy’s mother’s father, a man she never talks about. Just as Buddy feels he’s getting to know his estranged grandfather, reporter Nicholas De Lucca shows up. For three years, he’s been searching for a notorious Nazi war criminal known as Gentlehands. When De Lucca uncovers a shocking connection to Buddy’s grandfather, Buddy refuses to believe the accusations. One of M. E. Kerr’s very best novels, Gentlehands tells a spellbinding story of love, loyalty, and the family you thought you knew. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

Award-winning author M. E. Kerr challenges stereotypes in this story about a fifteen-year-old grappling with his older sister’s sexuality Parr Burrman lives with his parents and his older brother and sister on a farm in Missouri. They’re a typical Midwestern family—except for one thing. Parr’s father thinks Evie’s going to marry Cord Whittle, who’s had a crush on her forever, and settle down in their hometown to help out with the farm. Instead, she falls in love with Patsy Duff, the gorgeous, privileged daughter of the banker who holds the mortgage on the Burrmans’ property. When rumors start flying about Evie and Patsy, Parr has to contend with the derision of his classmates . . . and when he falls for a girl from a fundamentalist family who fears homosexuality like God’s wrath, he must face his own conflicted emotions. Soon, Parr’s parents—and the whole town—will know the truth about Evie. But it’s Parr who has to deal with the burden of shame when his own behavior leads to a shattering betrayal . . . and a secret he’ll carry to the grave. Written with grace, humor, and love, and featuring sympathetic characters you won’t soon forget, Deliver Us from Evie is a compassionate, vividly evocative novel by a master storyteller. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder in this unusual love story Little Little La Belle isn’t redundant. She’s a dwarf—a beautiful blond heiress who lives a pampered existence in the New York town named after her family. With her eighteenth birthday approaching, her parents want to marry Little Little off to the perfect man. Enter Sydney Cinnamon. Orphaned young, he went on to become one of America’s most famous dwarfs. The pint-size TV performer could have his pick of any diminutive lady. But with Little Little, it’s love at first sight. With the entire town pulling out all the stops for her birthday bash—and more than one hot guy competing for her attention—Little Little is determined to make up her own mind about what she wants out of life and love. An uncommon tale about being different, Little Little proves that it’s not how tall you are; it’s the size of your heart that counts. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

A seventeen-year-old girl falls in love with a Latino immigrant in this powerhouse novel about taboo passion and interracial love Annabel Brown’s first glimpse of the boy fated to change her life is on a soccer field near her home in the resort town of Seaview, Long Island. His name is Esteban Santiago, and he came to town as a member of a crew hired by Annabel’s father, a widowed contractor. From the moment they see each other, Annabel and Esteban know they’re meant to be together. They couldn’t be more different. Annabel is a blue-eyed blonde from a wealthy family living a life of privilege and ease. Esteban is an illegal immigrant from Colombia. With both of their families violently opposed to the relationship, they have to sneak around, leaving love notes in library books and meeting secretly on the beach late at night. As the summer—and their romance—progress, racial tensions flare, threatening to turn this peaceful Hamptons town into a powder keg. Set against the backdrop of the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina, Someone Like Summer has undertones of a modern-day West Side Story as it confronts issues of class, race, prejudice, and a love that transcends every stereotype. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

Set during the Depression, this haunting historical novel by M. E. Kerr follows two teenage girls—one German, the other American—whose friendship plays out against the quickly shifting political world stage Jessie Myrer is the daughter of the prison warden in Cayuta County, where there are few foreigners and even fewer Jews. Jessie’s provincial views change when she meets her new across-the-street neighbor. At fifteen, sophisticated, German-born Elisa Stadler is a year older than Jessie. The girls would seem to have little in common, yet they soon become the best of friends. Then one night, they hear the music of the prison band’s spellbinding solo bugler. Convicted murderer and gifted musician Slater Carr is the newest arrival at Cayuta Prison. Jessie and Elisa become obsessed with Slater, who to Jessie is like a local John Dillinger—and who was an unwitting part of a botched robbery in which two people were killed. When a daring escape culminates in murder, Elisa’s family moves back to Germany, where Hitler is rising to power. Years later, Jessie makes a shocking discovery about her long-lost friend. Your Eyes in Stars is a stunning novel about friendship, prejudice, assimilation, and the end of innocence. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of Marijane Meaker including rare images from the author’s collection.

The residents of Critters animal shelter are all looking for a home There are many creatures at Critters, an animal-rescue facility, who are waiting for a home. Irving, a twelve-year-old part–German shorthaired pointer, loves to watch the soaps and has been living at Critters so long he believes it is his home. Placido, on the other hand, has no problem finding new homes—but with his bad habits, the cat is always back within twenty-four hours. Goldie the Labrador retriever is new at the shelter, and he’s homesick for his last owners. Marshall, the black-and-yellow king snake who never knew his mother, doesn’t think he’s lovable enough to be adopted. But eleven-year-old Walter Splinter doesn’t agree: He wants Marshall to be his. Featuring an array of endearing talking animals, Snakes Don’t Miss Their Mothers is a fun, heartfelt story for every young animal lover. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

The daughter of faith-healing Christians and the son of a TV evangelist are the stars of this lively cautionary tale about religion, family, faith, and love I start my story with the day I first saw Jesse Pegler. That was when my whole life first started changing. Sixteen-year-old Opal Ringer is the daughter of Royal Ringer, the Pentecostal leader of a motley flock of down-on-their-luck believers. Jesse Pegler is the son of Brother Pegler. An “evangelist for Jesus,” the elder Pegler is a flashy minister who appears regularly on television in his blue robes and gold tassels. Opal and Jesse meet at a faith healing at the Helping Hand Tabernacle church, where Opal’s daddy preaches. Jesse, with his soft eyes and sandy hair, is a younger version of his older brother, Bud, who ran away from the religious life—and whom Opal can’t forget. Alternating between Opal and Jesse’s perspectives, What I Really Think of You follows two preachers’ kids as they make fascinating discoveries about their faith, their families, and themselves. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

In this novel by the award-winning author of Gentlehands and Slap Your Sides, a teenager starts to look at life differently when his older brother is sent to the Persian Gulf To sixteen-year-old Gary Peel, Linger is home. His father is manager of the Pennsylvania restaurant; his mom takes care of the books; and Gary’s older brother, Bobby, works there as a waiter. That is, until he decides to join the army. The only one from their hometown to enlist, Bobby becomes an instant hero. At Linger, Gary takes Bobby’s place waiting tables—and finds himself drawn into the correspondence between his brother and Lynn Dunlinger, the beautiful, preppy daughter of the restaurant’s owner. The tone of Bobby’s letters starts to change when he’s suddenly shipped overseas. Gary—the brother left behind—tries to adjust to his new life and prepares for the first Christmas without Bobby. Set during the Gulf War crisis and featuring a diverse cast of characters, Linger interweaves Gary’s first-person narrative with Bobby’s letters and journal entries from Saudi Arabia in a multifaceted look at bigotry, power, and the valor under fire that can drive ordinary people to commit extraordinary acts. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

A teenager whose parents have separated tries to adapt to life at a boarding school and make a fresh start in a strange new place After her mother runs off with her much-younger boyfriend, fourteen-year-old Flanders is shipped off to a boarding school in Virginia. On the train, she meets Carolyn Cardmaker, a preacher’s daughter who will become her best friend. She also meets Ernestine Blue. Miss Blue is Flanders’s faculty advisor at the Charles School, where each residence hall is named after a Charles Dickens novel. But Miss Blue’s strict disciplinarian persona may be concealing a tragic past. As Flanders adjusts to life at school—which includes a deaf roommate and a terrifying blind date—she discovers surprising things about Miss Blue . . . and herself. A coming-of-age novel that transcends the ordinary in its perceptive, empathetic depiction of Flanders and the people in her life, Is That You, Miss Blue? takes us into a world where not everyone can be taken at face value—and where strangers can become unexpected friends. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

What do you do when your whole world is blown apart? A seventeen-year-old confronts love, betrayal, and his brother’s illness in this brave, deeply compassionate novel by M. E. Kerr Life is going great for Seaville High senior Erick Rudd. He’s a good student, he has a girlfriend he’ll probably marry, and he’s on a straight path to college. Then his best friend’s girlfriend lets him know she’s attracted to him. Seventeen going on twenty-five, Nicki Marr is blond, green eyed, and gorgeous. Soon, Erick is seeing her on the sly. Guilt ridden over his deception, Erick isn’t prepared for what happens next. He finds out that his brother, Pete, who’s ten years older and lives in New York, is very sick . . . with AIDS. Erick is stunned; he didn’t even know his brother was gay. It was Pete who told a five-year-old Erick that night kites don’t think about the dark, that they’re not afraid to be different. How Erick and his parents deal with Pete’s illness—and how Erick handles his relationship with Nicki—are what make this book so unforgettable. Fearless and profoundly affecting, it will stay with you long after the last page is turned. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

M. E. Kerr’s first novel—hailed by the New York Times as a “timely, compelling,” and “brilliantly funny” look at adolescence and friendship It was bad enough that they had to move to Brooklyn—Brooklyn Heights, as Tucker Woolf’s dad instructs him to tell everyone after he loses his job. Now his father has suddenly developed an allergy to Tucker’s cat, Nader, a nine-month-old calico Tucker found underneath a Chevrolet. Tucker’s beloved pet finds a new home with overweight, outrageous Susan “Dinky” Hocker, the only person to answer Tucker’s ad. As Tucker starts paying regular visits to Dinky’s house to check up on Nader, his life begins to change. Dinky introduces Tucker to her strange cousin, Natalia Line, a compulsive rhymer whom Tucker finds fascinating. And enter P. John Knight, who’s fat like Dinky . . . and now, like Nader. With this odd cast of characters, a little world is created for big kids who need to go on diets. And who also, all of them, need to find out who they are. A story of friendship, self-image, and surviving adolescence, Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack! is also about the terror—and exhilaration—of daring to be yourself. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

A fourteen-year-old boy invents a comic-book fantasy world ruled by a book-dwelling insect named Frankenlouse I am called Nick. I was fourteen the year of this story, the year that changed my life . . . Nick Reber is a cadet with cartoonist dreams. Nick’s father, a by-the-books control freak, believes his son’s creative aspirations are a waste of time. As commanding officer of Blister Military Academy, he makes Nick march in step—or else. Nick misses his mother, who ran away, although she promised to one day send for him. As a form of escape, Nick creates a whole world inside his head—a comic strip featuring an insect that lives in the pages of Frankenstein. All the other book lice in the library fear Frankenlouse. But just like Nick, Frankenlouse feels trapped. He wants out of his book, just like Nick wants to escape—until a life-changing decision puts Nick on a collision course with his father. Narrated in Nick’s distinctive voice, Frankenlouse is about finding your authentic self. It’s a story of friendship, growing up, and the complicated bond between fathers and sons. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

The fantastical story of a lonely eleven-year-old whose parrot takes him on a magical mystery tour of a planet where sleeping is against the law Chester Dumbello’s mom interprets people’s dreams. One day a white, one-eyed parrot flies into the Dream Café. Chester’s mom says that the day something rhymes with orange, they can keep the parrot. Since nothing does, she comes up with the name Lornge, and the parrot becomes the newest member of the Dumbello family. But there’s something odd about Lornge: He never sleeps. (Or as he puts it, “I tell no lies, nor shut my eyes.”) It’s summer, and school’s out—Chester’s favorite time of year because the other kids can’t bother him about his unusual mother. But he feels trapped in a tug of war between his aunt Dolly, who wants Chester to visit, and his mom, who doesn’t want him to go. Then one night, Lornge takes him to the planet Alert, where sleeping is against the law. Chester is adopted by a family named Quick—boasting a mother and a father—and meets all kinds of strange and interesting people. He goes to school, but before long, he is convicted of being a “shuteye” and gets thrown in jail. Suddenly, his home in Lucy, Mississippi, is looking a whole lot better. This is a wildly inventive novel about a boy who yearns to run away—only to discover that there’s no place like home. This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

In the hilarious sequel to Shoebag, the cockroach uses his magical abilities to help a lonely boy at an all-girls’ school Shoebag and his roach family have taken up residence in the Lower School at Miss Rattray’s School for Girls in Wayne, Pennsylvania. Shoebag and his parents, Drainboard and Under The Toaster, like their new home because it’s close to the kitchen. But lately, Shoebag has been dreaming about the time he was transformed into a person named Stuart Bagg—probably because the all-girls’ school has just admitted its first boy. Homesick ten-year-old Stanley Sweetsong doesn’t think he’ll ever be good enough to join the Betters, the school’s most exclusive club. What he needs is a pal—someone to help him hatch a plan to outsmart these snobs. So Shoebag uses his secret formula to transform himself back into Stu Bagg. Suddenly, Stanley has a new roommate who inspires him to come up with a better, even more elite club: the Butters. Stanley and Josephine Jiminez, his only other friend at school, are the charter members. When the club is banned by Miss Rattray, they’re forced underground—but with Shoebag’s help, Stanley and Josephine concoct the perfect recipe for revenge . . . This ebook features an illustrated personal history of M. E. Kerr including rare images from the author’s collection.

A wimp and a winner switch places in the school pecking order

In this compelling story by the author of "Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!," a gold ring mysteriously manipulates a complex chain of events as it is passed from generation to generation.

Edgar Tobbit meets Neal Kraft at a group session arranged by their psychotherapist and their friendship ends up thwarting the plans of an eccentric widow to get revenge on the town where she was mistreated as a young girl.

Many things change in a teenage boy''s life when he meets the overweight girl who answers his advertisement for the cat he must give away.

A strange incident on the night of the senior prom changes John Fell''s entire life, leading him to enroll in an exclusive private school under an assumed name.

When seventeen-year-old Henry Schiller fell in love with Valerie Kissenwiser, he never suspected that their romance would become national television''s funniest comedy routine.

Living under a pseudonym with his grandfather in a small town, the son of a celebrity teams up with the local tomboy, an alliance he calls Nothing Power and she calls Going Steady.

The author recounts escapades from her own teenage years and reveals how many of those real-life people and events served as springboards for the fictional characters and plots in her nine young adult novels.

A teenage boy falls in love with an "upper-class" girl and gets to know his estranged grandfather in one heartbreaking summer which climaxes in a shattering search for Nazi war criminals