Ivy and Bean try to make money by writing a newspaper about Pancake Court but the neighbors are not pleased to read about themselves.

On a summer night in Portland, Oregon, violence erupts at a Little League game — and attorney Ami Vergano watches in horror as the quiet, gentle artist she recently befriended does the unexpected and unthinkable . . .

In a cheap motel room in Washington, D.C., Vanessa Kohler — ex-mental patient, supermarket tabloid reporter, and estranged daughter of a powerful general running for president — views a news broadcast of the

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"Nikki Maxwell develops a sudden interest in student journalism that may or may not (okay, definitely does) have to do with the fact that mean girl MacKenzie has started writing a gossip column. And there just might be some juicy info involving Nikki's crush, Brandon, that Nikki doesn't want MacKenzie reporting to the world. So Nikki joins the school newspaper staff--and ends up as an advice columnist! It's fun at first, answering other kids' letters....

"Gideon's short-lived run as a locally famous boy detective ended when middle school started, and everyone else--including his best friend, Lily--moved on while Gideon kept holding on to his trench coat, fedora, and his treasured film noir collection. Now he's sixteen and officially retired. That is, until Lily shows up suddenly at Gideon's door, needing his help. He might be mad at her for cutting him off with no explanation, but Gideon can't turn...