After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to get their fortune.

Charlie and Mouse, two young brothers, enjoy a day out together, attending an imaginary party and collecting rocks.

As Hurricane Elmer hits, Judy, Stink, and the entire Moody clan hunker down and ride out the storm, but when the power goes out, Grandma Lou proposes some activities to pass the time in the dark.

When she wakes up early one morning, Willa questions her big brother about what it will be like to be a grown up.

"Set against the backdrop of the Malibu surf culture of the 1980s this novel follows the daughter of a famous singer who, once she finds fame, must grapple with the fact that her father abandoned her and her siblings when they were young"-- August 1983. Everyone wants to be around the famous Rivas: Nina, talented surfer and supermodel; brothers Jay and Hud, one a championship surfer, the other a renowned photographer; and their baby sister, Kit....

Life is meant to be savored, but that's not easy with no family, limited prospects and a past you'd rather not talk about. Still, Callie Smith doesn't know how to feel when she discovers she has a brother and a sister - Malcolm, who grew up with affection, wealth and privilege, and Keira, a streetwise twelve-year-old. Callie doesn't love being alone, but at least it's safe. Despite her trepidation, she moves into the grand family home with her siblings...

Fleeing Southerland Plantation with his little sister, twelve-year-old Homer finds a secret community called Freewater, created by formerly enslaved people, but when he learns of a threat that could destroy this place, he crafts a plan to help his new home.

In 1863, two young Inuits, fourteen-year-old Alika and his younger brother Sulu, must fend for themselves during the six months they are stranded on an ice floe drifting south from Ellesmere Island towards the Greenland Strait.

Amy and Dan Cahill travel to Australia to figure out what their own parents knew about the object of their quest, but their search brings back terrible memories for Amy and endangers a secret ally.

Carmela, finally old enough to run errands with her brother, tries to think of the perfect wish, while his wish seems to be that she stayed home.