Central Kansas Library System

Oscar Starling never wanted to come to Chicago. But then Oscar finds himself not just in the heart of the big city but in the middle of a terrible fire! No one knows exactly how it began, but one thing is clear: Chicago is like a giant powder keg about to explode. An army of firemen is trying to help, but this fire is a ferocious beast that wants to devour everything in its path, including Oscar! Will Oscar survive one of the most famous and devastating...

A twelve-year-old street urchin and the son of Chicago's most important jeweler strike up an unlikely friendship in the days before the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and both are nearly trapped when the city goes up in flames.

When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both.

Launching an investigation of his own when his instincts tell him that more is behind a political shooting on Chicago's west side, SOS Detective Billy Harney uncovers a spate of murders connected to his troubled past. "To Detective Billy Harney, the newest member of Chicago PD's elite strike force--Special Operations Section-- getting shot in the head, stalked by a state's attorney, and accused of murder by his fellow cops is all part of breaking...

If not for her loving but controlling parents, Beth Prudhomme might never have taken charge of her life and moved from her native Chicago to Portland, Oregon, where she has reconnected with her spirited Aunt Sunshine and found a job as a high school music teacher. If not for her friend Nichole Nyquist, Beth would never have met Sam Carney, although first impressions have left Beth with serious doubts. Sam is everything Beth is not -- and her conservative...

An account of the fire that raged for twenty-four hours over much of Chicago in October 1871, destroying property and homes and killing at least 300 people.

Tris and Four are now fugitives on the run, hunted by Jeanine, the leader of the power-hungry Erudite elite. Racing against time, they must find out what Tris₂s family sacrificed their lives to protect, and why the Erudite leaders will do anything to stop them. Haunted by her past choices but desperate to protect the ones she loves, Tris, with Four at her side, faces one impossible challenge after another as they unlock the truth about the past...

Choosing a college and striking out on one's own is an exciting time that requires a big adjustment by both child and parent, but few parents will have as much difficulty relinquishing control over their daughter's life as Chicago police chief James Porter. A loving, but overprotective father, James wants his daughter Melanie to attend nearby Northwestern College. When she's waitlisted and called for an interview at Georgetown in Washington, D.C.,...

Tommy Boy: Party animal Tommy Callahan is definitely a few cans short of a six-pack. But after seven years, Tommy's finally earned his diploma -- and a cushy job at Callahan Auto Parts. Returning home, Tommy gets some more great news: his dad is marrying a real "10," and Tommy will get the stepbrother he always wanted. But as fast as you can say "Who killed the keg?," the family business starts tanking. Now Tommy's got to hit the road with his dad's...