When his best friend drowns while they are both swimming in a treacherous river that they had promised never to go near, Joel is devastated and terrified at having to tell both sets of parents the terrible consequences of their disobedience.

In this novel based on the story of Cinderella, Ella struggles against the childhood curse that forces her to obey any order given to her.

Ella lives in a fanciful and magical world where all children are given a "gift" from their fairy Godmother at birth. Ella's gift - and curse - was that of obedience. As a result, Ella cannot refuse any command, and as a result she is often taken advantage of. In a bid to regain control of her life, Ella goes on a quest to free herself from this mysterious "gift". Ella must outwit a kingdom filled with ogres, giants, wicked stepsisters, talking books...

The true life story of controversial psychologist Stanley Milgram, whose legendary experiment tested ordinary people's willingness to obey orders from an authority figure, even if they felt what they were doing was wrong. This led Milgram's whirring mind to delve into a parade of human behavior inquiries, including the Six Degrees Of Separation theory.