Written for a young audience, this intense memoir explores the harsh realities of life on the streets in contemporary North Korea. Every Falling Star is the memoir of Sungju Lee, who at the age of twelve was forced to live on the streets of North Korea and fend for himself. To survive, Sungju creates a gang and lives by thieving, fighting, begging, and stealing rides on cargo trains. Sungju richly recreates his scabrous story, depicting what it was like for a boy alone to create a new family with his gang, “his brothers,” to daily be hungry and to fear arrest, imprisonment, and even execution. This riveting memoir allows young readers to learn about other cultures where freedoms they take for granted do not exist.
This coming-of-age story by multiple-award-winner Meg McKinlay is about loss and grief, dealing with change and fighting to hold on to what you can, while letting go of what you can’t. It’s 1979 and the sky is falling. Skylab, that is. Somewhere high above Frankie Avery, one of the world’s first space stations is tumbling to Earth. And rushing back with it are old memories. Things twelve-year-old Frankie thought she’d forgotten. Things her mum won’t talk about, and which her little brother Newt never knew. Only ... did he? Does he? Because as Skylab circles closer, Newt starts acting strangely. And while the world watches the sky, Frankie keeps her own eyes on Newt. Because if anyone’s going to keep him safe, it’s her. It always has been. But maybe this is something bigger than splinters and spiders and sleepwalking. Maybe a space station isn’t the only thing heading straight for calamity.
A deliciously charming novel about finding true love . . . and yourself. Nothing ever happens in Little, CA. Which is just the way 17-year-old Carter Moon likes it. But when Hollywood arrives to film a movie starring former child star-turned public relations mess Adam Jakes, everything changes. Utterly annoyed, Carter feels like the only girl not buying what Hollywood's selling. Then Carter gets an offer she can't refuse: play the part of Adam's girlfriend while he's in Little, to improve his public image, and take home a hefty paycheck, which her family desperately needs. So instead of a summer hanging out with friends and working, Carter begrudgingly poses for the tabloids but soon finds that Adam isn't who she thought. Worse yet, she might actually be falling for him. As they grow closer, their relationship walks a blurry line between what's real and what's fake; and Carter must open her eyes to the scariest of unexplored worlds - her future. Can Carter figure out what she wants out of life AND get the boy? Or are there no Hollywood endings in real life?
For eighteen year-old Gemma, life has never been normal. Up until recently, she has been incapable of feeling emotion. And when she's around Alex, the gorgeous new guy at school, she can feel electricity that makes her skin buzz. Not to mention the monsters that haunt her nightmares have crossed over into real-life. But with Alex seeming to hate her and secrets popping up everywhere, Gemma's life is turning into a chaotic mess. Things that shouldn't be real suddenly seem to exist. And as her world falls apart, figuring out the secrets of her past becomes a matter of life and death.
Daysy Maria del Pozo and Stella Maris Morales-Quinn both came to the United States as part of the 1980 Mariel Boatlift--Daysy settling in South Florida with her family and Stella starting a new life with her mother and step-father in Pittsburgh. Over time, they each find themselves haunted by their families' complicated and painful Cuban pasts. As Stella deals with her mother's suicide and it slowly dawns on Daysy that there are family secrets she must uncover, the reader hears the del Pozo family history, piece by piece, from Daysy's mother. Soon it becomes clear that Daysy and Stella may share more than their Cuban-American heritage.
He’s tormented by dark addictions. She’s fighting for a lifelong dream. Can they rise from the ashes of despair and find happily ever after? Mikel Evans is broken. With all his attention focused on dealing with blackmail and a drug dependency, his day-to-day is barely survivable. So when he reflexively steps up to defend his best friend’s little sister, he’s blindsided when she leans in for a kiss. Remy Stone is done bottling up her emotions. And now that she’s finally caught Mikel’s eye, she’s determined to pursue the relationship despite the red flags. But when his violent past lands her in the hospital and reveals her own hidden truth, Remy’s resolve falters. Trapped in a vicious cycle of temptation and relapse, Mikel knows the only way out is to bare his soul of its twisted secrets. And though Remy wants him with all her heart, she fears his demons will always come between them. Can the embattled couple defeat the monsters that threaten their love? A Fallen Star is the emotional first book in the completed Shattered Cove romance series. If you like steamy relationships, damaged heroes, and stories of second chances, then you’ll adore A. M. Kusi’s gritty tale. Buy A Fallen Star to shoot for the heavens today! *** Completed series. No cheating. HEA guaranteed.*** ---------- Keywords related to this contemporary romance novel: Romance series starters, completed romance series, second chance romance, bwwm romance book, bwwm, contemporary romance novel, black woman white man romance, interracial romance books, multicultural romance books, best friends sister romance, second chances romance, strong female lead, virgin romance bwwm, strong women, beach reads, strong heroine, wmbw romance, small town romance, interracial romance books, romance ebook, white man black woman interracial romance, IR romance books, addiction romance, contemporary romance series, wmbw, romance series book 1, African American romance, ir, IR romance books, romance novels to read, love story, love story books, interracial relationship, tortured hero romance, best friend little sister bwwm, brothers best friend romance bwwm, secret baby romance books, small town romance series, romance book with secret baby, shattered cove series, new adult romance books, new adult romance, bwwm romance books, bwwm interracial romance, freebie romance, freebies, freebie books, romance books free, second chance romance free, romance stories, adult romance novels, romance stories, books romance free, romance novels steamy, steamy romance books, free steamy romance books, romance novels to read, romance fiction, romance free books, romance free full books, bwwm free, free romantic fiction, romance fiction books, romance fiction, African American romance free, free contemporary romance books,
"Falling stars are supposed to be a lucky sign, but not for Austen. Her new job as a secretary in an international games company isn't off to a good start. Her first assignment--decorating the Christmas tree in the lobby--results in a trip to the ER after Dee, the company's second-in-command, gets hit by the star-shaped tree topper. Dee blames her instant attraction to Austen on her head wound, not the magic of the falling star. She's determined not to act on it, especially since Austen has no idea that Dee is practically her boss"--Back cover.
Award-winning author Mary Pope Osborne's first middle-grade novel is a gripping girl survival story reminiscent of such classics as *Island of the Blue Dolphins* and *Julie of the Wolves*. LOVE AND LOYALTY PUT TO THE TEST Adaline is a fiery child--an irrepressible combination of her white explorer father Kit Carson and her Arapaho mother. When Ma dies and Pa sets off on an expedition out West, Adaline finds herself living in St. Louis with racist white relatives who call her a savage and work her like a slave. When Adaline realizes she may have been abandoned, she decides to find her own way back to her mother's people, where she is sure her father will find her. With the company of a stray dog, Adaline sets out on a journey that will either save her life--or end it...
In this remarkable book, Dr. H.H. Nininger often called the world's foremost meteorite expert, recounts the excitement of his long love affair with "falling stars"-those "stones from the sky" that rain down upon our earth from outer space in great, but little known profusion. Fifty years ago the science of meteorites was at a low ebb. Nothing much had been done since 1900. It was Dr. Nininger's keen interest, however, that brought about a resurgence in an old science. His efforts, described with straighforward ease, account for more than half the "falls" recorded in the 20th century.
