There are some strange people in this world, and sixteen year old Jacob is one of them. So is his grandfather. The two men have always been close. When a tragedy strikes the family, Jacob decides it is his responsibility to seek answers to some long buried family mysteries and restore honor to the family name. He wants to learn more about his grandfather, and who he was as a child. Unfortunately, his visit to Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children leaves him with more questions than answers. What kind of a man was Jacob's grandfather, and how did he become involved with children whose behaviors seem extremely odd?

This book features several vintage photographs that add an extra dimension to the story and leave readers scrambling to turn the pages!

In 1992, 16 year old Amy Fisher shot her 36 year old boyfriend's wife. She became known as the "Long Island Lolita" who chased after Joey Buttafuoco and who tried to free him of his wife. In this book, thirty year old, Amy tells her story the way she wants it to be known. The tabloids and made for TV movies were not her stories, but were fabricated by the press, by writers and, by "friends" who wanted their 15 minutes of fame and a few hundred dollars. She spent 7 years in adult prison for her deed. Joey, who denied any involvement with the "obsessed teen", couldn't hide the motel and fancy restaurant receipts forever. When the police discovered that Joey had had an adult relationship with the teen, the justice system gave Joey 6 months in jail. Amy contends that if the same thing happened today, Joey would be tried as a child molester and punishment would have been much more severe for him; possibly less severe for her. As Amy tells her story, she reveals the horrors of prison life and the betrayal of attorneys who saw her as a way to make media deals. She explains how she went from being an obedient, problem-free child, to a rule-breaking, attention seeking teen. As you read, you will have to decide for yourself how much accountability should be assigned to Amy and to Joey and if the situation could have been prevented if...Amy had known then what she knows now.

Little does Nina Revskaya realize that the consignment of her jewelry, including an amber bracelet and earrings, to a Boston auction house will open the door to her past as a Russian ballerina with the Bolshoi during Stalinist aggression, a past she has tried to forget. When an amber necklace that appears to match Nina’s bracelet and earrings is also consigned anonymously, an inquisitive Boston auction house associate, Drew Brooks, begins a search for the origins of the amber jewelry. Her search leads her to Grigori Solodin, a professor of Russian, who believes his past is tied to Nina and the amber jewelry. Interweaving past and present, Nina’s former life in Russia comes to light.

Ellen Hopkins debut title for adult readers does not disappoint! Hopkins tells the stories of Andrea, Holly and Marissa,30-somethings whose lives are full of drama.The women are dealing with the struggles associated with day to day living including a terminally ill child, a pregnant teenager, and a husband who is married to his job. Already close friends,these women have no idea how completely their lives will eventually intertwine.Written in free verse, this is a quick read and an interesting addition to Hopkins offerings.