Central Kansas Library System

A darkly humorous tale of crime and punishment. As further evidence of his family's bad fortune which they attribute to a curse on a distant relative, Stanley Yelnats is sent to a hellish correctional camp in the Texas desert where he finds his first real friend, a treasure, and a new sense of himself. Stanley Yelnat's family has a history of bad luck, so he isn't too surprised when a miscarriage of justice sends him to a boys' juvenile detention...

"Although promised to the widowed neighbor Zeb, Emma is considering leaving her Amish community to watch over her younger brother Mark when he leaves for Philadelphia to explore the outside world during his Rumspringa. There, she reconnects with her former beau Caleb, who protects the Amish teens, introducing them to his life evangelizing and helping the homeless. Unbeknownst to Emma, Caleb is glad for the opportunity to spend time with her and hopes...

Fleeing from a cruel step-father, eleven-year-old Robin takes his baby brother and finds shelter with street boys living in a church in a tenement area of New York City.

Practicing bicycle tricks at their campsite, the members of the BMX Bunch stumble into a hidden cave and into the life of a homeless man.