Kerr, M. E.

Gentlehands (Harper Keypoint Book)

Buddy Boyle lives year-round with his family in unfashionable Seaville, New York, in a cramped little house on the bay. Skye Pennington spends the summers nearby on lavish estate complete with ocean view and a butler named Peacock.

But Skye and Buddy fall in love anyway. And every once in a while they visit Buddy's estranged grandfather, who makes them forget they're from opposite sides of town. Then a reporter appears, searching for a man known as Gentlehands, a man with a horrifying past. Who is Gentlehands? And what is his connection to Buddy's handsome, aristocratic grandfather? The mystery threatens to shatter Buddy and Skye's relationship, and change their lives forever.

On the Fringe

In every school at every grade, there's a pecking order among students-an in crowd and those outside it, who are often ridiculed mercilessly for the "crime" of being different. This powerful anthology explores the teen outsider experience in electrifying, never-before-published stories by eleven of today's most acclaimed YA authors. A tomboy finds the relief of self-expression through her music, while in another tale a relentless bully tests the faith of an intensely religious girl. A cheerleader discovers that the true soul of her school can't be found within the cool clique; a football player finally stands up for a harassed fellow student; and a boy watches in horror as the school "freak" marches into his classroom with a loaded rifle.

Offering insights into popularity and peer pressure, nonconformity and persecution, acceptance and hate, these riveting, provocative tales will leave readers thinking and start them talking.

Stories by:

Joan Bauer
Alden R. Carter
Chris Crutcher
Jack Gantos Angela Johnson
M. E. Kerr
Ron Koertge
Francess Lantz
Graham Salisbury
Will Weaver
Nancy Werlin

Deliver Us from Evie

Told by her brother Parr, this is the story of 18-year-old Evie, her Missouri farm family, and the turmoil created by Evie's love for the local banker's daughter. "Teens will be swept up in the emotion and immediacy of Parr's fast-paced narrative, his voice perfectly pitched between wit and melancholy. It's a story that challenges stereotypes, not only about love, but also about farmers and families and religion and responsibility--about all our definitions of 'normal.'"—BL. "Unquestionably, this is the best Kerr in years, if not ever."—V.

1995 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA)
1995 Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (ALA)
1995 Fanfare Honor List (The Horn Book)
1995 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library)
1994 Best Book Honor Award (Michigan Library Association)

Me Me Me Me Me: Not a Novel

Dinky Hocker Shoots Smack!

"Does heroin give you pimples?" Tucker asked.

"All junk does. Junkies love sweets," Dinky said authoritatively. "I never met a junkie who didn't verge on bulbous acne."

"How can you eat and talk about bulbous acne?" Tucker said.

"I'm not finicky," Dinky answered.

Someone Like Summer

Annabel first sees him playing soccer near her house. His name is Esteban—she sees it on the back of his team shirt. He notices her, smiles, then looks back over his shoulder at her again.

It is the beginning of summer in the resort town of Seaview. It is also the start of a romance between a young Colombian who came to town to work and the daughter of a local contractor whose crews are entirely Latino—new immigrants who are changing the face of Seaview.

This is the summer of war in Iraq, and of Hurricane Katrina. But in Seaview there are other concerns. In Annabel's house her new boyfriend is at the top of the list. And Esteban's sister has harsh words for his choice of a girlfriend.

M. E. Kerr weaves a compelling story of star-crossed love and a small-town problem of nationwide significance.

Night Kites

What do you do when your best friend's girlfriend makes a pass at you?

Erick Rudd isn't sure how it happened –– he did nothing but look. It was Nicki who made the first move. And if that doesn't complicate things enough, Erick is about to get some news that will blow his safe world apart: Pete, his older brother and idol, has fullblown AIDS. I'm a night kite, Pete once told Erick. I go up in the dark, alone, on my own, and I'm not afraid to be different. Nicki is a night kite, too. Together, she and Pete will teach Erick that sometimes it's best to keep your feet on the ground.

Fell Down

Little Little

Finding the right mate is no small matter...

Little Little La Belle is the daughter of the wealthiest businessman in town. She is everything an heiress should be -- beautiful, independent, and perfect in every way. Except for one thing: she is only three feet, three inches tall. And now that she is about to turn eighteen, her parents are conspiring to get her married to the perfect young man. But Little Little has plans of her own.

With characters who play their cards close to the vest and closer to the ground, Little Little is a love story unlike any other.

Blood on the Forehead: What I Know About Writing

Award-winning novelist M. E. Kerr shares for the first time the stories behind--and excerpt from--five of her novels and five short stories and offers young people dozens of sensible writing tips that can be used immediately by any aspiring writer of fiction. A professional writer who has earned her living solely as an author from the year after she graduated college to the present, Ms. Kerr--with her usual mix of sparkling with and common sense--talks about how she gets her ideas and, more important, how she uses them to create her stories.

Whether you are writing your next school assignment or thinking about writing as career, Blood on the Forehead gives you a fascinatinginsight into the way one highly successful author approaches her own work.For decades, Marijane Meaker has delighted readers of all ages. Shes written under the names Vin Packer, M. J. Meaker, and Mary James. But as M. E. Kerr, writer of books for young adults, she has won perhaps her greatest audience.In Blood on the Forehead M. E. Kerr shares both the stories behind and excerpts from five of her novels and five short stories for young adults, as well as tips about what writers need to remember in order to write fiction successfully (e.g., Courtesy #10 to extend to your reader: Cut! Cut! Cut! Your reader has a life.). With her usual mix of sparkling wit and common sense, Kerrs personal journey through the writing process is sure to buoy the spirits of any reader faced with the next writing assignment.