Most Popular Books by Norma Fox Mazer

Some families you’re born into, some you have to find for yourself Sarabeth Silver knows that her mom is different. Jane Silver is younger, prettier, harder working, and poorer—making just enough money cleaning houses for her and Sarabeth to live in a little trailer. It’s always been just the two of them, but when tragedy suddenly strikes, Sarabeth will have to figure things out on her own. Sarabeth has never known either of her parents’ families, who refused to help when Jane got pregnant at sixteen. Is it worth trying to find them after they rejected her parents so long ago? She knows her friends would be willing to help, but how can she lean on them when what she really wants is the open hearts of relatives she’s not even sure exist? And if they are out there, how will they feel about Sarabeth after all these years?

When a high school senior falls in love with the girl he is supposed to be fixing up with his best friend, the ensuing experiences profoundly change the relationships each has with the others.

Norma Fox Mazer''s remarkable story of two sisters fighting to survive against a world without caring.In the sad, shabby trailer where Em Thurkill lived her first fourteen years, suffering her father''s alcoholic rages and her mother''s deathly silence, and in the three she lived trapped with her violent, unstable sister, there seems more than enough to end even the dream of hope.Yet Em Thurkill''s story is a story of how hope outlives brutality. It is a story of one girl''s sweetness, and almost unbearable pain. Heartbreaking, mesmerizing, and ultimately transcendent, this novel is a tribute to the astonishing resilience of the human soul.

Eccentric Mrs. Fish, the school custodian, teaches Joyce, an 11-year-old misfit, to cherish what makes her unique. Fish, Ape, and Me, the Dump Queen".

When Vicki''s father is laid off from his job, everything changes. Her family moves to a city apartment, and Vicki has to forge a new path at her urban school. Worst of all, one night her depressed father simply disappears. Vicki soon finds herself living a double life--fine on the outside, anything but fine on the inside--and that leads to a moral dilemma she''s ultimately forced to confront.

Eight extraordinary stories of heartbreak, growing up, and the importance of finding your voice Everything changes eventually. Jessie Granatstein doesn’t think she’ll have anything to say in the journal her teacher asks her to write—until suddenly, the words come tumbling out. Zoe Eberhardt has been raised and cherished by the strong, powerful women in her family, but when she turns fourteen, she starts to see that she’ll soon have to establish an identity of her own. Marylee is quiet and thoughtful—unlike her confident, sparkling mother. But when she sees something she’s not supposed to, she realizes it might be time to start speaking out. For the young women in these stories, growing up may be complicated, but it always leads in surprising new directions.

After discovering her grandfather is dying, fifteen-year-old Rachel gets to know him better than ever before and finds the experience bittersweet.

Going along with the crowd can have shattering consequences Why does everyone always want you to make so many choices? Pizza or burgers, swimming or a movie, one friend or another, yes or no. For Rollo Wingate, who’s always been the biggest guy in school, sometimes it’s easier to relax and let someone else take the lead. After all, when he and his two best friends get together, they’re always on the same page—which is probably why he goes along with it when the other boys target Valerie Michon at school. Every time they see her, bad things just . . . happen. At first it’s just a taunt here, a tiny insult there. But things keeps escalating, and finally, the situation turns into something much worse. Rollo knows that a line has been crossed, and he struggles to make sense of how things could have gone so wrong so quickly. Maybe for the first time, he’s going to have to figure it out for himself.

How is it possible that the one guy Jenny falls for is totally off limits? March isn’t usually Jenny’s month. For one thing, it’s too dark and gray. For another, her sister, Gail, died two years ago in March after being hit by a drunk driver, a blow her family hasn’t yet recovered from. But March is also when she first sees Rob. He’s new in school, and although Jenny doesn’t know who he is yet, she can’t look away when they pass each other in the halls. She knows there’s something between them, and he seems to know it too, until a chance conversation reveals something terrible: Rob’s mother was the driver who killed Gail. Even as Jenny tries to pull away from Rob, she’s secretly glad about his stubborn insistence that they be friends despite their pasts. If Jenny and Rob become friends—or more—is she betraying her family? Can she and Rob find a way to transcend the tragedies in both their pasts and hold on to each other?

He could be any man, any respectable, ordinary man. But he''s not. This man watches the five Herbert girls—Beauty, Mim, Stevie, Fancy, and Autumn—with disturbing fascination. Unaware of his scrutiny and his increasingly agitated and forbidden thoughts about them, the sisters go on with their ordinary everyday lives—planning, arguing, laughing, and crying—as if nothing bad could ever breach the safety of their family. In alternating points of view, Norma Fox Mazer manages to interweave the lives of predator and prey in this unforgettable psychological thriller.

Both overlooked in the middle of a big, noisy family, Jenny and her grandpa will always have each other to confide in . . . right? No one in Jenny Pennoyer’s family understands her at all—no one, that is, except her grandfather, who lives in an apartment in the basement of her family’s home. Jenny and her grandfather have been close ever since she was born, when Grandpa, newly widowed, found that a baby was just the thing he needed to get back on his feet. But as Jenny’s family grows and they’re all pinched together in one house, her parents become less and less patient with Grandpa’s desire to be independent. Jenny feels like his only defender, the only one who sees him as a person with a mind of his own. As Jenny grows increasingly protective, Grandpa’s determination and Jenny’s love for him will lead them on an adventure together that their family never expected.

When Toni’s luck runs out, real life comes calling Toni and Julie were both born right after their parents moved in next to one another, and the two girls have hardly been separated since. Julie is tall and outspoken and stands up for herself, but really she’s just trying to survive until she turns eighteen so she can move out before her parents’ constant fighting drives her crazy. Meanwhile, Toni, small and shy, has the perfect family: no financial worries and two parents who obviously adore her. Compared to Julie, Toni knows she’s lucky. But when Julie’s mom moves her family to San Francisco for the summer, Toni faces new challenges. Some changes are fun, like getting to know the cutest boy in school—but some, like discovering that maybe your family isn’t as perfect as you thought, aren’t quite so easy.

Escaping from the terrors of World War II, Karin gets the chance for a new life in America—but she can’t stop thinking about her mother, who she left behind in France Karin Levi’s life in Paris was happy and normal. She never dreamed she would find herself hiding in a cramped attic with her family, sitting silently while police went from house to house hunting for Jews and turning them over to German soldiers. Hopeless and scared, only Maman’s loving smile and caring touch give Karin the strength to keep going. But soon, Karin and her older brother, Marc, must flee the attic, crossing land and sea in search of safety, and leaving Maman behind. Longing for her mother and a return to their happy life, Karin expresses her love in letters she won’t be able to send until the war is over. Dearest Maman . . .

Nina always thought that if just one person would love her perfectly and completely, she’d never be alone again Nina’s the first person in her family to leave home and go to college. Maybe that’s why she feels so isolated once she gets there, especially compared to some of the other students—like her roommates, who have been friends for so long they can finish one another’s sentences. But it seems like her narrow, small-town past hasn’t prepared her for this life in which everyone else knows things about the world that she doesn’t. Afraid of falling behind in her classes, all Nina does is study and wonder if she’ll always be this lonely. But then she meets Mitch. He introduces himself from the top of some scaffolding, taking a break from painting the house next door to hers. Their growing relationship frees Nina from her self-doubt—finally, someone to love who loves her back! Their togetherness is perfect . . . but can it stay that way forever?

Despite their different backgrounds, Sarabeth, a teenager living with her mother in a trailer and transferring to a new school, makes friends with Grant and her affluent friends, including troubled Patty who shares a painful secret about her uncle.

While searching for her long-lost father, a teenage girl finds herself

The more things change, the more Ami wishes they’d stay exactly the same Ami and her best friend, Mia, share almost everything—even the letters in their names! But when Ami’s mom and dad separate and her mom moves out, even all of the traditions she and Mia share can’t put her family back together. Ami wants everything to go back to the way it was—for her mother not to live in an apartment and have a life of her own, and for her dad not to go to dinner with the new science teacher, Ms. Linsley. At least her friendship with Mia will always be the same . . . won’t it?

Bunny is funny, but that doesn’t mean she’s totally clueless when it comes to more serious matters With her quick wit and lighthearted personality, Bunny Larrabee can make people laugh about almost anything. She collects knock-knock jokes, riddles, and all kinds of comedy routines to try out on her best friend, Emily. The only thing Bunny doesn’t find humor in is her unusual name—she’s heard jokes about it her whole life, and none of them are funny. So when an impossibly gorgeous guy starts talking to her at a concert, Bunny opens her mouth and says two fateful words: “I’m Emily.” It’s just one tiny lie, but it will drive a wedge between the two best friends. And with what looks like more serious misfortune on the horizon, Bunny will need Emily’s friendship and advice more than ever.

It''s little sister vs. big in this fresh take on a classic struggle by a master storyteller.Everything ten year-old Sprig wants, her older sister Dakota already has. Everything Sprig does, Dakota does better. And anytime Sprig complains, Dakota just grins and calls her a baby. It''s enough to make a kid wish her sister would disappear.But in a year when Sprig''s father is away, her favorite neighbor is ill, and the class bully is acting almost like, well, a boyfriend, Sprig discovers that allies come in unexpected shapes. Sometimes they''re even related to you.

Landing a prestigious summer internship on a Pulitzer Prizewinning newspaper seems ideal for Chris, who''s glad to be taken seriously as a writer and to get away from his blue-collar father''s expectations. For Vicki, it''s a chance to grow up, shine in the big time, and maybe even get a scholarship so she won''t end up stuck in a dead-end job like her mother. For Elizabeth, it means time to distance herself from the suffocating relationship she has with her boyfriend. For Faith, it''s a way to forget the past and try to be just a normal teenager. Weeks of work and play wear on their relationships: What do they expect of each other? What do they expect of themselves?

How’s a girl supposed to know when she’s in love—and more importantly, how does she get out of it? One remarkable older sister would be bad enough, but Karen Freed has two: Liz, a beautiful poet, and Tobi, compellingly intense and argumentative. Karen knows she couldn’t possibly compete, but it would be nice to be known for something of her own. The three have been inseparable all through Karen’s childhood, but now her sisters have moved into a world that Karen can’t yet share, and their blossoming romances make her feel left out. Karen wishes some of their romance would rub off on her. She has Davey, but he’s more best friend than love interest, and despite his many advances, Karen knows it wasn’t meant to be. Is something wrong with her? Will she even know when love comes her way? Then she falls head over heels for someone she definitely can’t have: Scott, Liz’s boyfriend. Her feelings cause a rift between her and Liz, one that Karen might not be able to fix. But if anything has ever brought these three sisters together, it’s coming to one another’s rescue.

In real-life, happily ever after can be hard to come by Pete Greenwood loves history. Any era or country will do as long as the books are lengthy and full of the past. But that may be because Pete’s own history is a work of fiction. For the last eight years, he’s lived with his uncle Gene under an assumed name. He’s had to keep his parents’ existence a secret ever since they committed an act of political protest that went tragically wrong. Living a double life makes Pete feel isolated and alone until he meets the cool and collected Cary Longstreet. Cary’s playing a role too—looking perfect on the outside to hide secrets of her own. Slowly learning to trust each other, Pete and Cary start to share their truths, both of them dreaming of happy endings to their stories and the chance to let go of all their worries. But real life doesn’t always wrap itself up as neatly as we’d like.

A 15-year-old''s first love is bittersweet as she defies her parents and tries to assert her sexual values.

A friendless girl, teased mercilessly at school because her uncle manages the town dump, finds a friend in Mrs. Fish, the school custodian, and gradually life becomes more bearable.

Emily decides to play hide and seek when her father calls her for lunch.

Some loves last forever—others, only a summer The summer Mary turns fifteen, she meets an unsuitable boy with an even more unsuitable motorcycle. Who cares if he’s from the wrong side of the tracks? He’s fun, and that’s a risk Mary decides is worth taking. Before she got married and had three children, Zelda quit college to work in a factory because she thought it would impress her seriously political boyfriend. But it was in the factory that she found a sisterhood and a source of inspiration that would last a lifetime—considerably longer than the boyfriend. Lillian has lived all her life on Greene Street. She grew up there, got married there, raised two girls who went off to live their lives, and now—at her age!—she has the chance to leave it all behind and find love in sunny Florida. But can she, if it means living without Greene Street? There are many kinds of love, and you’ll find most of them in this collection of short stories by the extraordinary Norma Fox Mazer.

Derek Chapman hitches a ride and later realizes he has unwittingly assisted in what he has dreaded and anticipated--his own kidnapping.

For as long as I can remember, It''s just been Daddy and me. I can''t remember my mother. I was told she died in an accident when I was four, and that''s all I know about her. I don''t understand why there isn''t even a picture of her. The other thing I don''t understand is why we''re always moving -- different towns -- with no explanations. I know something is wrong. It begins with my birth certificate-- my only link to my mother. Then I overhear a conversation: "Tell terri the truth ," Why are we moving all the time? Are we running away from something or someone? What kind of secret is Daddy hiding...and why can''t he share it with me.

How is it possible to feel more at home with your friends than with your own family? Sometimes Calvin Miller really hates that he and his mother, Nina, don’t have a home of their own. Instead, they live in Garo’s house—well, more precisely, Alan’s house. A pilot who is always away, Alan is also Nina’s boss. As his live-in housekeeper, Nina raises Alan’s son, Garo, right alongside Cal. Luckily, the boys are good friends despite their differences. Though Cal is better at school, Garo is better with people—his outgoing personality makes everyone like him. But sometimes Cal thinks even his mother is closer to Garo than she is to her own son. Cal figures he must take after his dad, but how can he be sure when the only contact he’s had with his father is in the form of three postcards over a course of nine years? As Cal navigates his teenage years, he may be in store for more changes than he realizes.

Emily just wants everything to be perfect—is that too much to ask? When Emily’s parents got divorced two years ago, her dad still made time to see her and the twins as much as possible. But since he moved to Chicago with Marcia, his phone calls have started getting less and less frequent and it feels like he might as well live at the North Pole. And if that weren’t bad enough, her mom seems ready to start a new family, too! Emily knows that it’s impossible to get her parents back together, but that doesn’t mean she’s ready for her mom to start dating—and she’s ready to put a stop to it. So, in effort to sabotage her mom’s new relationship, Emily pretends to go out with a boy at school who she’s not even sure she likes. Now, she’s going to have to deal with two unwanted relationships!

Danita knows that nobody’s perfect, but it’s never easy to admit that might include your own parents Danita’s parents love to remind their daughter that she weighed less than a loaf of bread when she was born, but now that she’s almost fourteen and perfectly healthy, Danita really wishes they’d give her some space. Obviously still in love and completely devoted to their family, even Danita’s best friend, Laredo, thinks Mr. and Mrs. Merritt are the ideal parents, but Danita can’t help wanting them to focus on anything—or anyone—else. Danita’s wish is about to come true, but is it more than she bargained for?

When her father gives her a typewriter, eleven-year-old Trissy decides to record her daily thoughts and experiences.

Mysteriously transported into the distant past and taken in by a community of gentle cave people, young Zan Ford jealously guards her few mementos of home and civilization