W. R Philbrick

At the beginning of eighth grade, learning disabled Max and his new friend Freak, whose birth defect has affected his body but not his brilliant mind, find that when they combine forces they make a powerful team.

Thirteen-year-old Sam Castine is at summer camp while his mother is in rehab, but when the camp is evacuated ahead of a fast moving wildfire, he makes the mistake of going back for his phone, and finds himself left behind, disoriented, and running for his life, together with a girl, Delphy, from a different camp -- finding an old Jeep keeps them going, but in the wilds of Maine, there are only logging roads and the deadly crown fire is everywhere....

Twelve-year-old Homer, a poor but clever orphan, has extraordinary adventures after running away from his evil uncle to rescue his brother, who has been sold into service in the Civil War.

A twelve-year-old boy and his dog become trapped in New Orleans during the horrors of Hurricane Katrina.

With his loving and supportive mother, 13-year-old Kevin moves in next door to another teen, Max. though both have problems that label them as outcasts, Kevin and Max discover that by proudly combining their strengths on uniting as one, they can overcome their individual limitations and triumph over any adversity. As the two set out on a series of courageous adventures, they find the mightiest treasure of all: friendship!