These 12 short stories by well-known authors of fiction for teens focus on loss in many forms. Annette Curtis Klause’s jaded vampire uses and discards young women without a second thought, but becomes unaccountably attached to a stray cat in “Summer of Love.” Cooter finally gets to know his father only to lose him to HIV in “What Are You Good At?” by Roderick Townley. Other heroes of these stories experience such losses as a beloved grandparent’s failing memory and the end of a burgeoning romantic relationship when an unplanned pregnancy develops. Naomi Shihab Nye evokes memories of loved ones by the foods associated with their lives in “Shoofly Pie.” Jimmy Sims is a professional baseball player who must weigh the loss of the season against the potential loss of his wife in “Season’s End,” by Walter Dean Myers. Collectively, the stories offer insight into the types of loss that confront many adolescents. (Ages 12–16)

""In adolescence we feel our losses as if for the first time, with a greater depth of pain and drama than we are aware of having experienced ever before,"" says James Howe in his introduction to this stunning collection of short stories in which some of today's most celebrated authors of fiction for young adults explore the many faces of loss - the common thread they share and the hope that is born through change.

"You're Not a Winner Unless Your Picture's in the Paper" - Avi

"Red Seven" - C.b. Christiansen

"Enchanted Night" - James Howe

"Atomic Blue Pieces" - Angela Johnson

"Summer of Love" - Annette Curtis Klause

"The Tin Butterfly" - Norma Fox Mazer

"Season's End" - Walter Dean Myers

"Shoofly Pie" - Naomi Shihab Nye

"The Fire Pond" - Michael J. rosen

"What Are You Good At?" - Roderick Townley

"Chair" - Virginia Euwer Wolff

"The Rialto" - Jacqueline Woodson and Chris Lynch