"When a fragile young woman refuses to leave New Orleans as Hurricane Katrina approaches, her parents are forced to go without her, setting off a chain of events that leaves their marriage in shambles and their daughter catatonic, the victim or perpetrator of some unknown violent act"--

"The Vanderbeekers are looking forward to the wedding of two of their favorite people! But when one of the siblings receives a dire diagnosis, instead of preparing for a celebration, the family is suddenly spending their time at the hospital. And soon they are helping a newly-made and critically ill friend, even as they struggle with how their own lives have turned upside down. In the poignant conclusion to the bestselling Vanderbeekers series, the...

"A simple story exploring the feelings of a mixed heritage child who begins to notice the physical differences between her mother's features and her own. One day, Izzy notices that her skin looks different from her mama's. "Mama," exclaims Izzy. "We don't match! You're sand, and I'm chocolate." Then Izzy realizes that her hair has big swirls and curls that jump out from her braids, while her mama's hair is smooth and straight with a braid that hangs...

In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son. Xavier is headed to college in the fall, and after years of single parenting, Valerie is facing the prospect of an empty nest. All is well until the Whitmans move in next door - an apparently traditional family with new money, ambition, and a secretly troubled teenaged daughter. Thanks...