Dad sets his head on fire, while mom brings thunderstorms everywhere. Meet the Powers: the not-so-super superheroes.

The Powers are a superhero family who have some incredible powers, but are also decidedly lacking in any ability to control them. On a visit to The World-Famous Museum of Pirates and Buccaneers, the Powers discover a history of pirates stealing from the locals in the seaside town where they're on vacation. Two suspicious sailors convince the Powers that pirates are plotting their return to the town, and when JP spots a tall ship at sea, havoc ensues as the Powers try to save the day. Only Suzie, whose family is sure she has no superpowers at all, can keep things under control. But for how long? A perfectly-paced adventure story featuring a colorful and genuinely funny family, The Powers will entertain and charm young readers.

Tariq is beset by danger on the streets and by conflict at home. Music is his only consolation. The only ally of his own age is Rachel, his Jewish classmate. She will not let Tariq's Islamic Iraqi background define how she—or the wider community—sees him. When he forms a new friendship with the volatile but intriguing record-store owner Jamal, Tariq discovers the world of jazz and the man he could become. The violence that has long threatened finally erupts, and things suddenly clarify for Tariq. He takes the ultimate risk—not on behalf of his friend but on behalf of his enemy—and the disparate worlds of modern America and traditional Islam come together in an unexpected and gripping resolution.

A tense and gritty story of home values threatened by street gang violence

The summer before Jack Klements begins high school in Seattle, his life is disrupted by a visit from his Irish cousin Finn, a "problem child" sent from Dublin after being expelled from school. Obsessed with the violent computer game Gang Feud 3, Finn has trouble distinguishing between games and reality, and soon becomes dangerously involved with a Latino gang in the inner city. Kevin Stevens's pacy debut as a young adult writer is an adventure story with divided loyalties at its heart.