In parallel stories, Bone, an orphaned dog, finds and loses a series of homes, Molly, a family pet, helps Charlie through the grief and other after-effects of his brother's death, and lonely Henry pleads for a dog of his own.

Hedgehog wakes up needing a hug, but has trouble finding a friend who will get so close to his prickles.

When Jess, a girl who is allergic to the sun, sneaks out of her house, she discovers a magical garden made out of ice.

When Little Robot finds a creative solution to his lonliness he gets straight to work on shaping the perfect companion out of metal, and affectionately names him Little Dog.

With insight and a light touch, best-selling, Newbery Honor-winning author Gary D. Schmidt tells two poignant, linked stories: that of a grieving girl and a boy trying to escape his violent past. Following the death of her closest friend in summer 1968, Meryl Lee Kowalski goes off to St. Elene's Preparatory Academy for Girls, where she struggles to navigate the venerable boarding school's traditions and a social structure heavily weighted toward students...

At first Ugly Fish likes being alone in his tank so much that he eats any fish that tries to share it, but when he becomes lonely, he devises a better plan.

When her classmates make fun of her for still liking the color pink, a little girl feels all alone, but then a friend shows her the power of pink.

A wandering cat brightens the lives of six lonely people--and persuades all of them to feed him until a near accident brings them all together.

"Dog and Rabbit are both a little lonely and in search of a friend, but Rabbit is initially too distracted by the bunny he sees through the window to notice that Dog is just the friend that he has been looking for"--Provided by publisher.

"Sophie meets Goose at the park and the two become fast friends!"--