When German prisoners of war are brought to her Arkansas town during World War II, twelve-year-old Patty, a Jewish girl, befriends one of them and must deal with the consequences of that friendship.

Rusty-James wants to be as tough a teen as his older brother, Motorcycle Boy, who has always helped him out of tough spots. But one day, when Rusty-James faces danger, Motorcycle Boy is not around.

Louie, a high school senior in a small Idaho town, learns about sportsmanship, love, and death as he matures into manhood.

As The Avenger searches for the teenage boys who trashed a house in his neighborhood, Buddy, one of the trashers, increases his drinking in order to cope with his parents' separation and his obsession with the daughter of the owner of the vandalized house.

Instead of being rescued from a plane crash, as in the author's book Hatchet, this story portrays what would have happened to Brian had he been forced to survive a winter in the wilderness with only his survival pack and hatchet.

Intellectually and athletically gifted, TJ, a multiracial, adopted teenager, shuns organized sports and the gung-ho athletes at his high school until he agrees to form a swimming team and recruits some of the school's less popular students. Features a new afterword by Chris Crutcher.