Three of Dickens's most compelling orphan protagonists-Oliver Twist, Pip, and Esther Summerson-in three of his greatest novels. Perhaps no writer in the English language is more closely associated with orphaned characters than Charles Dickens. The trials and dangers for children without parental protection play a significant part in nearly all his work, as both a source of highly entertaining melodrama and pointed social criticism. Oliver Twist: Having...

Evie Wilder is an orphan who has gone through most of her life unnoticed . . . until she's caught up in a dramatic heist and captures the attention of the Dark Fable. They have chosen her for a reason: she can turn invisible. This skill would make Evie a treasured asset to the legendary group of thieves known for spiriting away obscure and occult artifacts. Evie cannot resist their allure and is eager to join this newfound family. But she discovers...

Getting left at the altar wasn't in Elisa Hartley's planner--but neither was gaining custody of her two orphaned nieces. Determined to be the best guardian possible, Elisa moves them into a newly renovated house. When landscape architect Sean Peters arrives to fix up her yard, he might just be able to heal her heart, too. Except Sean's got a secret...and revealing it could throw a wrench in their happily-ever-after.

A teenager's longing for family and a place to call home is poignantly portrayed in this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting story of life in the foster-care system. A teenager's longing for family and a place to call home is poignantly portrayed in this heartfelt and ultimately uplifting story of life in the foster-care system from bestselling author Eve Ainsworth. Feeling betrayed when her long-term foster placement breaks down, Amy is sent to live...

"August, 1943. Fourteen-year-old Massimo is all alone. Newly orphaned and fleeing from Rome after surviving the American bombing raid that killed his parents, Massimo is attacked by thugs and finds himself bloodied at the base of the Montecassino. It is there in the Benedictine abbey's shadow that a charismatic and cryptic man calling himself Pietro Houdini, the self-proclaimed 'Master Artist and confidante of the Vatican,' rescues Massimo and brings...

"Without stopping the book's flow to discuss dyslexia, Banks makes some good points about grades, intelligence, and learning styles." Booklist, ALA -

Vince Elgin is an orphan, having lost his mother and his father in a fire when he was young, but beyond that, his life hasn't been much of a fairy tale. With only a senile grandfather he barely knows to call family, Vince was interned in a group home, where he spun fantastical stories and dreamed that his father, whose body was never found, might one day return for him. But it's been a long time since the fire, a long time since Vince has told himself...

It's one thing to be interested in history-it's another to thing to make it Andrew Tillet is just looking out for a younger classmate when he gets pulled into a heroic scheme-a mission to return an abducted boy to his heartbroken mother. Andrew and his friend Christopher carry out their mission perfectly, but Andrew has curious mixed feelings about several details.   The next day, he's still thinking things over when police arrive at school with...

The stories in this book will take you on a rollercoaster of emotions. You'll meet Primo, the abandoned dog who finally found a loving home, and Snowy, a snow owl who was rescued after a brutal storm left her injured. Then, there's a heartfelt tale where the author shares his own experiences with his beloved pets, a tale of mixed emotions. You'll also meet Orphan Joey, who faced a challenging upbringing in a cold children's home but overcame it all...

Alliana spends her days tending to her stepfamily's inn at the edge of the abyss, but when she rescues an orphaned nightdragon and later helps an apprentice witch, she seizes her chance to escape her stepmother's tyranny and find her own happily ever after.