In Choke, Beck may be older, but he’s no wiser than he was in Pillage. Still groaning over Beck’s life choices, but rooting for him nonetheless. In Hattie on Her Way, Hattie Belle has grown up pretty wild, so when her Pa takes her into town and leaves her with her maternal grandmother to get a proper education, it’s a drastic change. Her blunt manner and short temper get her into all kinds of trouble. All she wants to do is fly home. In Yang the Third and the Impossible Family, Yingmei Yang (American name, Mary) is often embarrassed by her parents and siblings, who don’t act or sound American enough. She wants to fit in, to make friends, to belong. So it seems like a great idea to volunteer to take one of her school friend’s kittens, even though the Yangs home is filled with sheet music and valuable instruments. Keeping the cat a secret becomes increasingly difficult.
C. J. Milbrandt 