"A lonely ghost finds a friend in a bright red balloon"--

A young girl who feels misunderstood and different stays quiet, turning to books to find a place where she can connect with the world and where her words hold power.

Old Dave ignores strange noises he hears in the lonely old cottage he inherited from his uncle, except the voice telling him there are ghastly ghosts in the coal shed.

When Little Robot finds a creative solution to his loneliness he gets straight to work on shaping the perfect companion out of metal, and affectionately names him Little Dog.

"A clever pup ends up in a cozy home, and she'll do anything to stay there. She impersonates everything the lonely homeowner needs--a pillow, a footstool, a jacket. But in the end, being herself works best"--

A giant turtle's loneliness ends when a boatload of animals is shipwrecked and makes a temporary home on his shell. But when they decide to sail for home, will the turtle be alone once more?

A young boy who spends most of his time alone in his bedroom makes new friends after the monster in his drawing becomes a monstrous nuisance.

"Upset that her neighborhood is being torn down and replaced by fancy condos and coffee shops, Saint, along with her new friend Daniel, hatches a plan to save what is left of her beloved hometown."--

"After a period of imprisonment, Nealon returns to an empty house in the west of Ireland to find his wife and young son missing. Then he gets a call from a man who claims to know what's happened to them--a man who'll tell Nealon all he needs to know in return for a single meeting. In a hotel lobby, in the shadow of an unfolding terrorist attack, Nealon and the man embark on a conversation shot through with secrets and unknown dangers, a verbal game...

With insight and a light touch, best-selling, Newbery Honor-winning author Gary D. Schmidt tells two poignant, linked stories: that of a grieving girl and a boy trying to escape his violent past. Following the death of her closest friend in summer 1968, Meryl Lee Kowalski goes off to St. Elene's Preparatory Academy for Girls, where she struggles to navigate the venerable boarding school's traditions and a social structure heavily weighted toward students...