Gennifer Choldenko

A twelve-year-old boy named Moose moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935 when guards' families were housed there, and has to contend with his extraordinary new environment in addition to life with his autistic sister.

Thirteen-year-old Lizzie and her secret friend Noah, who is hiding in her house, plan to rescue Noah's father from the quarantined Chinatown, and save everyone they love from contracting the plague that is spreading in 1900 San Francisco.

With their house in foreclosure, sisters India and Mouse and brother Finn are sent to stay with an uncle in Colorado until their mother can join them, but when the plane lands, the children are welcomed by cheering crowds to a strange place where each of them has a perfect house and a clock that is ticking down the time.

Too shy to approach the girl he likes, Jackson hides little gifts for her to discover before Valentine's Day.

Sam is happy to play with his monkeys until way past bedtime, but he gets tired before them and has to find a way to get them to sleep.

Lili is so shy that her voice is never heard in class until the day a good friend needs her help.

The horse seriously doubts that the cow will ever be able to jump over the Moon but offers respect and admiration when the determined bovine accomplishes that feat.

Kirsten and Walk, seventh-graders at an elite private school, alternate telling how race, wealth, weight, and other issues shape their relationships as they and other misfits stand up to a mean but influential classmate, even as they are uncovering a long-kept secret about themselves.