Books like The Way It Works by William Kowalski

In Camp Green Lake, a boy named Stanley Yelnats must dig endless holes for a supposedly reformatory camp that really hides a buried truth.

When ten‑year‑old Opal arrives in Naomi, Florida, she discovers friendship, community, and the healing power of a big ugly dog named Winn‑Dixie during her first summer in town.

Taggish the famed canine hero of Jack London’s classic adventure, The Call of the Wild, is uprooted from a comfortable home in California and forced into brutal sled work in the Yukon, where he must confront survival, the call of wilderness, and the pull of his wolf ancestry.

In 1964 South Carolina, Lily Owens, grieving her mother’s death, seeks refuge with a fierce stand‑in mother and a trio of black beekeeping sisters who open her to the secret world of bees, honey, and healing.

A tense psychological thriller that pits FBI agent Clarice Starling against the notorious cannibalistic serial killer Dr. Hannibal Lecter as they collaborate to catch a new predator.

A Dog's Purpose follows a beloved dog through four reincarnated lives, exploring love, family, and the search for meaning in each life.

A devoted dog reflects on life, love, and racing while watching his owner, a race car driver, navigate family trials and professional ambition.

When 12‑year‑old Chloe discovers a mysterious tramp living in her garden shed, she must contend with secrets, family drama and an unexpected friendship that proves appearances can be deceiving.

In "Towers Falling," a fifth‑grade girl named Deja follows her teacher’s clues to learn about home, community, and the 9/11 towers while befriending classmates Ben and Sabeen and confronting family and social tensions.

When a poor family faces eviction, the boy Jackson turns to his imaginary cat, Crenshaw, in a heart‑warming story that shows how friendship and resilience can keep a family together.

Francis, a teenager with a quirky and fractured family, struggles to carve his own path at school. When leukemia strikes, he discovers unexpected kindnesses and new perspectives on life.

The story of a family in the making and the wondrously neurotic dog who taught them what really matters in life. Is it possible for humans to discover the key to happiness through a bigger-than-life, bad-boy dog? Just ask the Grogans. John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wriggly yellow furball of a puppy. Life would never be the same. Marley quickly grew into a barreling, ninety-seven-pound streamroller of a Labrador retriever. He crashed through screen doors, gouged through drywall, and stole women's undergarments. Obedience school did no good--Marley was expelled. And yet his heart was pure. Just as Marley joyfully refused any limits on his behavior, his love and loyalty were boundless, too. A dog like no other, Marley remained steadfast, a model of devotion, even when his family was at its wit's end. Unconditional love, they would learn, comes in many forms.

After dying, Madison Stanton finds herself surrounded by luminescent objects—relics of her lost life—allowing her to relive and even alter moments from her past. In doing so, she discovers the power of friendship, love, and the truth about her own death.

Sam tries to make new friend Buddy after his mother's sudden death in fifth grade, but fears it will tear him away from his best friend Alex.