Zelly Fried wants a dog more than anything, so at the urging of her grandfather, during the summer before sixth grade she takes care of a "practice dog" made out of an orange juice jug to show her parents that she is ready for the responsibility, even though she is sometimes not entirely sure about the idea.

Timid and small for her age, nine-year-old Elizabeth Ann discovers her own abilities and gains a new perception of the world around her when she goes to live with relatives on a farm in Vermont.

Upon learning that an older woman has moved into run-down, creepy Crabapple Farm, nine-year-old Keeker rides over on her pony, Plum, to find out whether the woman is a witch.

Gianna has less than one week to complete her leaf project if she wants to compete in the upcoming cross-country sectionals, but issues like procrastination, disorganization--and her grandmother's declining health--seem destined to keep her from finishing.

To a thirteen-year-old Vermont farm boy whose father slaughters pigs for a living, maturity comes early as he learns "doing what's got to be done," especially regarding his pet pig who cannot produce a litter.

Ellery has heard all about Echo Ridge. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen; only five years ago, a homecoming queen was killed. Now Ellery is living there, with a grandmother she barely knows. Whens someone declares open season on homecoming, another girl goes missing. It seems everyone in Echo Ridge is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous-- and most people aren't good at keeping them. -- adapted from jacket

"When Stevie Bell is finally able to return to Ellingham Academy after identifying the culprit in the murder of a classmate, she begins to wonder if the case was really resolved and attempts to uncover the truth about the school's founder." --

Although ten-year-old Miguel is at first embarrassed by his colorful aunt, Tia Lola, when she comes to Vermont from the Dominican Republic to stay with his mother, his sister, and him after his parents' divorce, he learns to love her.

"After solving the greatest unsolved mystery of the century, Stevie Bell goes undercover as a camp counselor to investigate the strange things going on at Camp Wonder Falls--the site of the infamous "Box in the Woods" murders" --

"Wyatt Green is convinced that the annual spate of violence striking her small Vermont town is caused by a shared sickness, but she begins questioning her assumptions--and her memories about the night of her mother's murder--as she is drawn to her classmate Porter and away from her best friend Cash."--