Losing his father shortly after birth, Warren Spooner endures a troubled childhood and even more troubled young adulthood that is marked by his dishonorably discharged stepfather, whose inexhaustible patience is tested by the difficult Warren. By the National Book Award-winning author of Paris Trout.

After his mother divorces his father and remarries, Asa's sharp intellect and capacity for forgiveness help him deal with the instabilities of his new world.

"Magic is illegal in Newworld, so Maggie struggles to explain the strange shadows--that only she can see--that seem to accompany her new stepfather everywhere"--

At the age of ten, Liza Barton had shot her mother, trying desperately to protect her from her estranged step-father, Ted Cartwright. Despite his claim that the shooting was a deliberate act, the Juvenile Court ruled the death an accident. Many people, however, agreed with Cartwright, and the tabloids compared her to the infamous murderess Lizzie Borden, pointing even to the similarity of their names. To erase Liza's past, her adoptive parents change...

When Claire Barclay receives news that her beloved stepfather has had a stroke, Claire and her husband, Art, leave New York and fly back to Scotland to care for him during the summer. When their visit makes clear that Leo is no longer capable of living on his own but determined to stay in his beloved old house, they offer to purchase the place from Leo and build him a cottage on the property. But Claire's old flame Jonas Fairweather (who has become...

"When Eleanor Hardwicke's beloved father dies, her world is further shattered by a gut-wrenching secret: the man she's grieving isn't really her dad. Eleanor was the product of an affair and her biological father is still out there, living blissfully with the family he chose. With her personal life spiraling, a desperate Eleanor seeks him out, leading her to uncover another branch on her family tree - an infuriatingly enviable half sister. Perfectly...

He said they want to talk to you, David." "They?" I said. "The cops?" She nodded. "What for?" I don't think I ever worked harder at getting just two words out of my mouth. I tried to sound like I had no idea what the cops would want with me. / When his step-father Phil is shot dead in an apparent robbery, David becomes the prime suspect. Where was David that night, and what does he know about Phil? David has figured out the truth about his step-father,...

When his mother's new marriage takes them into the household of a miniature golf course owner, ten-year-old Wedge struggles with feelings of resentment and dislike for his stepfather

Cherry keeps a diary about her parents' divorce, her new stepfather Roland Butter who draws rebuses for her, and the coming stepbrother or stepsister

"After learning their stepfather's plans marry off Laura Stiles and her sisters, they disappear to find matches and claim their father's lumber dynasty. On their expedition they volunteer on a settlement, and Laura sees potential in the local minister. But when secrets buried in his past and the land surface, it will take all they have to keep trouble at bay"-- Laura Stiles and her two sisters discover their stepfather's plans to marry each of them...