Cousins conspire to circumvent state burial laws when their beloved aunt dies of AIDS, and come up with a fiendishly clever plan to keep her out of a pauper's grave.A slick teen takes his very unhip cousin under his wing -- to make a man of him -- after reluctantly making a promise to his dying uncle to do so, and finds out a lot about being true to oneself in the meantime.

A trio of golfers must take on a fourth player -- a girl, no less -- who surprises them by having a fabulous drive, despite the fact that she refuses to take off her backpack. But that doesn't begin to match their shock when they find out what her backpack contains. Can three strangers help her let go of her past? Is there magic in a foursome?

Astonishing, shocking, and mesmerizing, each story in this collection is singular unto itself, but they all work together in the exploration of how people react to tragedy when it strikes...and how they deal with what's left behind. A daring, thought-provoking collection as only two-time Newbery Honor awardA-winner Bruce Brooks could write it.