Centered on a young girl who inexplicably stops speaking, December is a riveting and insightful portrait of a family in crisis.Nine months after eleven-year-old Isabelle suddenly fell silent, her parents, Wilson and Ruth, are at their wits' end. And what began as self-protection has spiraled beyond Isabelle's control; she has become trapped in her silence, horrified by the pain she is causing and terrified of losing her old self to this...

Specializing in a rare disease that causes children to age drastically, Dr. Henry Moss is confronted with an ethical dilemma when he meets a family whose two children are affected in dramatically different ways by the same disease.

"Beckett, If you're reading this, well, you know the last-letter drill. You made it. I didn't. Get off the guilt train, because I know if there was any chance you could have saved me, you would have. I need one thing from you: get out of the army and get to Telluride. My little sister Ella's raising the twins alone. She's too independent and won't accept help easily, but she has lost our grandmother, our parents, and now me. It's too much for anyone...

Tory Sullivan struggles with the demands of motherhood and her desire for a career. An aspiring writer, she wonders whether she'll ever be able to develop her talent while raising two young children. But perhaps the problem isn't a matter of time, but of Tory. Cathy Flaherty is rediscovering the grins and groans of the dating game. The spunky single mother of three teenagers, she's also learning the urgency of instilling sound values in her children...

"Tourists flock to the cabin of eleven-year-old Anna O'Donnell, who is said to be living without food, and a journalist is sent to cover the sensation. Lib Wright, a veteran of Florence Nightingale's Crimean campaign, is hired to keep watch over the girl. As Anna's life ebbs away, Lib finds herself responsible not just for the care of a child but for that child's very survival. Haunting and magnetic, The Wonder is a searing examination of doubt,...

Twenty one stories first published in Household words successor.

What would you do to save your child? Your wife? Your soul? Boston District Attorney Will Sullivan dreams of becoming the next governor of Massachusetts. With his beautiful wife, Joanna, and adorable daughter, Sydney, Will seems destined for greatness . . . until Sydney becomes seriously ill. Now both parents resolve to do anything to save their daughter's life. But in the twilight world of Briarwood Medical Center, nothing is as it seems. Patients...

One of history's great unsolved mysteries is the basis for Elizabeth Cooke's exhilarating and deeply moving extreme-adventure novel about Arctic exploration, survival, and the unshakable bond between parents and children In 1845 Sir John Franklin and his crew of 128 men set out for the Arctic in search of the Northwest Passage. They were never seen or heard from again. Now, in an eerie replay of that tragedy, renowned archaeologist and Cambridge professor...

Twelve-year-old Craig McMullen is left with only one leg after a car accident. The long months of recuperation become almost unbearable until his Uncle Wayne comes home. Soon Craig and Uncle Wayne are into grandiose schemes that lead to a disaster--and a new self-understanding.