In this stunning collection of short fiction, thirteen of the most accomplished writers for young people today turn their considerable talents to a theme that resonates in the hearts and minds of adolescents -- loss. As James Howe suggests in his introduction to the collection, it is in adolescence that 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." And those losses may take many forms -- the death of a parent or grandparent or pet; the departure or disappearance of a true and trusted friend or sibling; the end of a relationship; or even the end of a defining chapter in one's life. But with loss comes the opportunity for reevaluation and change and growth, which is what often allows these stories to be as funny as they are touching, and as uplifting as they might be sorrowful. Whatever their emotional responses, young adult readers will be challenged to think about their own lives in new ways, to consider what has gone by, and, more important, what is yet to come.