Violet is dark and cynical, obsessed with movies and determined to make her own films. She has no friends. Enter Claire: pale and pretty, writing poetry and believing in faeries. Somehow, they fill the empty places in each other, until desire and ambition threaten to destroy their fragile friendship. By the author of Weetzie Bat.

They are the goats: a boy and girl, chosen to be victims of a cruel joke. They are stripped of their clothes and left alone on an island. But they refuse to give in to it, to sit there and wait for a humiliating rescue by their tormentors. To escape, they will have to rely on themselves, and each other. They are stronger than they think.

Tulip is a liar, a thief, and worse. Rude, scornful, even vicious, she holds a fascination for the more restrained Natalie. But the games that begin as a slightly wicked adventure take a darker turn as the two get older and suddenly, Natalie is worried. She has good reason!

The awful loneliness of a new school seems to be over for Dorry: she has found a circle of friends. They all belong to a religious group called the "Fishers of Men" and Dorry finds that the religious experience holds a special joy for her. At the same time, the group does make demands on her, demands that threaten everything else in her life. How much should friendship cost?

For Charlie and Brandon friendship starts with a bang: Brandon's insults banging into Charlie's pride, and Charlie's fist banging into Brandon's face. In detention, they discover that Richie Rich and the Rebel Without a Cause may have something in common after all. But friendship and trust are both breakable.

Nyle doesn't want to befriend Ezra. It is a relationship that can only end in heartbreak. Ezra is dying. He has been exposed to radiation from an accident at a nearby nuclear power plant and Nyle's grandmother has offered to take him in, but Nyle is determined to keep him out - out of her life, out of her thoughts and out of her heart. By the author of Out of the Dust and The Music of Dolphins.

Tycho Potter is short, plain and brilliant, the original science geek. He and the lovely Angela May have been friends forever. Friendship is not quite enough for Tycho, but what can he do? A tender and funny look at love and friendship by the author of The Changeover: a Supernatural Romance.

Tracey puts an ad in a magazine, looking for a pen pal. It's a joke really. But among the answers is one that catches her attention: Mandy's. The two exchange letters, and secrets. They get to know one another very well. Or do they?

Sandry, Daja, Tris and Briar are four orphans with very special abilities. They are all damaged, distrustful and desperately in need of a place to call home. Together they just might learn to control their magical gifts and find the beginnings of trust. This is the first in the "Circle of Magic" series. Other entries are Daja's Book, Tris' Book, and Briar's Book.

John "Crash" Coogan has always careened through his life with all the subtlety and gentleness he would use on the football field. He and his friend Mike Delucca find particular pleasure in taunting Penn Webb, a Quaker boy who will not fight back, no matter what the provocation. Soon, though, Crash will begin to wonder about a lot of things he has taken for granted: about family and friends and about the real meaning of strength and courage. By the author of the Newbery-winning Maniac Magee.

It begins when Henry finds Jonathan in the hospital, unconscious, likely to die of a terrible head wound. But that's not true. It began long before that, when they were children. Henry and Jonathan were unlikely friends, but close ones, until David arrived. David is Jonathan's cousin, a haunted and disturbing survivor of the Haulocaust, and the wedge that may break the two friends apart forever.

Sturbridge is a small town. Really small. There's not much to do there, unless you're into sports. His sport - wrestling - may just be Ben's ticket out. But second best won't do and ahead of Ben in the line-up for fame and glory is his best friend, Al. Can Ben beat him? Should he try?

His name is Arnold Friend, or so he says. But then he says a lot of things. "What do you want?" Connie asks. "I want you." He means it. Suddenly all Connie's pride and preening, all her playing with the idea of attraction are over. She is afraid. Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been" is only one in this intriguing collection of short stories.

A.J. Brandiosa is the "bad boy" on his team, an aggressive defenseman whose drive has brought him to play triple A hockey. Just when everything couldn't be better, A.J. discovers that his teammate and best friend is gay, and suddenly things couldn't be worse. Fear and fury overtake A.J. and begin to spill out on the ice... By the author of the "RanVan" series.

Marie is well-off, smart and popular. She has a secure home with a loving father, a circle of friends, and a sense of belonging in the largely African-American suburb where she lives. Lena is tattered and dirty with eyes much older than her thirteen years. Others dismiss her as "whitetrash", and on the surface it seems that she and Marie have nothing in common. But each of them is grieving for a lost mother; loss and shared secrets open a slow and grudging path to friendship. Their story continues in Lena.

Running from an abusive home, Burl Crow stumbles across a cabin tucked away in the Ontario woods and develops a bizarre friendship with its owner, the eccentric pianist, Glenn Gould. It's hard too say which of them is more isolated or more in need of a friend, but the experience changes them both.