Showing titles in Physical & Emotional Abuse

Loosely based on a true story, this is an inspiring and unflinching account of a brave boy's struggle to recover from abuse. Josh is sexually abused in an institution where he goes after his grandmother falsely accuses his father of abusing him. Told from the boy's perspective as a 16 year old looking back, this is a very personal story of triumph over the odds and also a confronting look at some of society's systems and institutions.

David Espinoza is tired of being messed with. When a video of him getting knocked down by a bully’s slap goes viral at the end of junior year, David vows to use the summer to bulk up - do what it takes to become a man - and wow everyone when school starts again the fall. Soon David is spending all his time and money at Iron Life, a nearby gym that’s full of bodybuilders. Frustrated with his slow progress, his life eventually becomes all about his muscle gains. As it says on the Iron Life wall, What does not kill me makes me stronger.

Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She's never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she'd like to forget completely.

Fourteen-year-old Stark McClellan (nicknamed Stick because he’s tall and thin) is bullied for being "deformed" - he was born with only one ear. His older brother, Bosten, is always there to defend Stick. But the boys can’t defend each other from their abusive parents. When Stick realizes Bosten is gay, he knows that to survive his father's anger, Bosten must leave home. Stick has to find his brother, or he will never feel whole again. In his search, he will encounter good people, bad people, and people who are simply indifferent to kids from the wrong side of the tracks. But he never loses hope of finding love - and his brother.

In a riveting debut novel, John Halliday takes an unflinching look at the way even tiny events can echo through lives, with both tragic and uplifting consequences. Loners Macy and Danny are each following paths that will lead them to an explosive and unforgettable encounter. And at the intersection of those paths is beautiful Leah, the girl Danny has loved since the first time he saw her.

A heartbreaking novel that offers no easy answers, Give a Boy a Gun addresses the growing problem of school violence. Although it is a work of fiction, it could tragically be the leading nightly news story in any community. After a high school shooting at her alma mater, a college journalism student returns home to interview students, teachers, parents, and friends of the suspects. Intermingled with her interviews are journal entries written by the two troubled boys responsible for the shooting.

George’s life is loud. On the water, though, with everything hushed above and below, she is steady, silent. Then her estranged dad says he needs to talk, and George’s past begins to wake up, looping around her ankles, trying to drag her under. But there’s no time to sink. George’s best friend, Tess, is about to become, officially, a teen mom, her friend Laz is in despair about the climate crisis, her gramps would literally misplace his teeth if not for her, and her moms fill the house with fuss and chatter. Before long, heat and smoke join the noise as dis­tant wildfires begin to burn.

The enigmatic Black Coats have been exacting vengeance on men who have hurt girls and women for years. The killer of Thea's cousin went free, and Thea has just received an invitation to join the Black Coats' balancings - acts of revenge meant to teach a lesson. Justice for Natalie has never felt so close. But as the balancings escalate in brutality, Thea’s clear-cut mission begins to unravel, and she must decide just how far she is willing to go for justice.

Tienes que conocerle para escapar de él.

Cuatro chicas encerradas por un secuestrador. Ellas son sus flores, sus perfectas y puras flores. Pero ¿cuánto tiempo podrán sobrevivir dentro del sótano?

Seventeen-year-old Phoenix has spent much of her life drifting from town to town with her mom Nina, using their charms to swindle and steal to get by. Now they’ve made it to their ultimate destination, Mom’s hometown of Jasper Hollow. The plan: bring down Ellis Bowman, the man who ruined Nina’s life. When Phoenix gets caught spying on Ellis, she spins a convincing story that inadvertently gives her full access to the Bowman family.

When it comes to family, Annie is in the losers bracket. While her foster parents are great (mostly), her birth family would not have been her first pick. And no matter how many times Annie tries to write them out of her life, she always gets sucked back into their drama. Love is like that. But when a family argument breaks out at Annie’s swim meet and her nephew goes missing, Annie might be the only one who can get him back. With help from her friends, her foster brother, and her social service worker, Annie puts the pieces of the puzzle together, determined to find her nephew.

Jade and her friends, Jenny, Mads, and Summer, rule their glittering LA circle. Untouchable, they have the kind of power other girls only dream of. Every party is theirs, and the world is at their feet. Until the night of Jade's sweet 16, when they crash a St. Andrew’s Prep party. The night the golden boys choose Jade as their next target. They picked the wrong girl. Sworn to vengeance, Jade transfers to St. Andrew’s Prep. She plots to destroy each boy, one by one. She'll take their power, their lives, and their control of the prep school's hierarchy.

Una joven de 17 años siente que la vida no es fácil vivirla. Su padre la golpea, descarga su ira en ella, producto del alcohol. Su madre no la defiende, solo ve cómo la golpea y llora. Su amiga la manipula y la confunde. Anhela ser mayor de edad para poder irse de su pueblo y comenzar sus estudios universitarios en la ciudad. Lucila recorre el camino de la vida en búsqueda de la felicidad a través del amor. Pero cuando cree encontrar la felicidad plena, se topa nuevamente con una grieta en el camino que parece tener una sola dirección: una vida dura y cruel.

For as long as she can remember, Kylie Briscoe's been searching for the moon even though she has no idea why it soothes her. Placed in an impossible situation by her mother, Kylie cries for help. It brings rescuers and a new life, but it feels more like a death sentence when she is separated from her three-year-old sister Aliza, the only person Kylie's ever really loved.

Owl has always been her freest self in the mountains, tracking, hiking, and exploring the steep forested acres of her aunt and uncle’s maple sugar farm. They never speak of the childhood tragedy that left her partially deaf and sent her father to jail. All Owl wants is to stay safe at the farm, her favorite place in the world, her refuge from those who would treat her differently. Owl’s sheltered existence is blown wide open by Cody—the magnetic, dangerous young man hired to help with the season’s sugaring off.

At all costs. Whatever it takes. Coping is hard. Some find better ways than others. Getting from one day to the next isn’t easy. But what lengths will the island residents go to? And what if they find there are no limits? What is Ferdinan willing to do to get rid of the voice haunting him? How far will Jon go to protect his ally? And exactly what is Oya willing to do to eliminate Zephyr as a threat to her friend? Ferdinan, Jon, and Oya will soon discover these answers, though they may not like what they learn about themselves.

High School freshman, Anita Cordell's dream has always been to leave Eden's Fall. She hates the town, she hates the people, she hates her family, she hates everything. Then, Josh Towers and his three brothers move to the town, and for the first time in her life, Anita has a friend, and something more. The bullying stops, everyone wants to be her friend, life is picture-perfect. Then a series of bizarre events begin to happen, and she comes to realize that she may have given her trust too soon, and to the wrong person. And it might be a fatal mistake!

Between the fast-paced New York City, a rural Mississippi town, and a charming Pennsylvania college campus filled with secrets, two young girls learn the consequences of growing up too quickly. Set in alternating sections two decades apart, the parallels between their lives and the unavoidable collision that is bound to happen is revealed. Father Figure is an emotional story filled with mystery, romance, and suspense.

Some chains are meant to be broken...When Elise makes a fateful decision, her world is changed forever. Now she and her friends find themselves trapped with a deadly secret and they're running out of time. The clock is ticking. The palace is on the brink of a royal wedding and courtiers have journeyed from every corner of the realm. Torn between a life of servitude and the threat of capture, the friends are faced with a sudden decision, and once they make it, there will be no turning back. Will they stay in the palace or make a desperate bid for freedom?

When her sister runs away from home, Caitlin is left to deal with the emotional fallout. A powerful book looking at teenage dating from the perspective of young women. Unable to live up to the idealised view of her missing sister, Caitlin withdraws into herself, keeping her life - and her flourishing relationship with Rogerson - a secret even from her best friend. So when Rogerson starts hitting her, she keeps it all inside, her only outlet for her pain a diary, addressed to her missing sister...