Charlie Anne is devastated when her father must go north to build roads after the Depression hits. She and her siblings are left with their rigid cousin, Mirabel, and a farm full of chores. The only solace Charlie Anne finds is by the river, where the memory of her mother is strongest.
Then her neighbor Old Mr. Jolly brings home a new wife, Rosalyn, who shows up in pants-pants!-the color of red peppers. With her arrives Phoebe, a young African American girl who has also lost her mother. Phoebe is smart and fun and the perfect antidote to Charlie Anne's lonely days. The girls soon forge a friendship and learn from each other in amazing ways.
But when hatred turns their town ugly, it's almost more than they can bear. Now it's up to Charlie Anne and Phoebe to prove that our hearts are always able to expand.
Look no further for the perfect book for boys and girls who love fantasy, adventure, and white-knuckle action!
"Can you imagine eternal Darkness, sir?"
So asks the sickly stranger who staggers into Peg Leg Nel's birthday party. Before the man dies, he tells Ray and his friends of a Darkness spreading like wildfire across Kansas, turning good people bad and poisoning anyone who tries to escape. It's clear that though the evil Gog is dead, his devilish machine has survived and is growing stronger.
Now a full-fledged Rambler, Ray leads his friends on a mission into the heart of darkness. Vital to their success is tracking down the legendary Wolf Tree, rumored to be a pathway to the spirit world. Only with one of the tree's limbs can the Nine Pound Hammer be repaired and the Gog's terrible machine finally destroyed. The search for the Wolf Tree grows desperate as the Darkness spreads, threatening Ray, his friends, and all of humanity.
The Wolf Tree is the second fantasy adventure book in John Claude Bemis's series The Clockwork Dark, and adds new layers of myth and magic to Bemis's original take on American tall tales in The Nine Pound Hammer.
Mags has a lot to wish for - a nice house with a mama who isn't tired out from work; a normal little sister; a brother who doesn't mooch for food; and, once in a while, she'd like some new clothes for school. When her sister Hannie finds a stuffed unicorn, Mags's wishes start to come true. She knows the unicorn can't really be magic, but she won't let anything ruin her newfound luck - even if it means telling her own sister to believe something that can't possibly be true. "With colorful regional language and clear psychological insight, Hesse's debut ranks with Betsy Byars's The Pinballs and Cynthia Voight's Homecoming in describing families surviving as best they can under economic privation." - Publishers Weekly "Hesse captures the spirits of a stalwart young heroine and her family." - School Library Journal
Fifteen-year-old Francis Tucket has been searching for his parents ever since Pawnees kidnapped him from their wagon train on the Oregon Trail. He owes his survival to a one-armed mountain man, Jason Grimes, who came to his rescue. Now Francis owes his life to the mountain man once again. Unfortunately, it's a debt he'll never be able to repay. Grimes is killed defending Francis and his young friends, Lottie and Billy, from a band of marauding robbers. As the three young people approach the end of their journey, they wonder if they can make it across the raging Columbia River. But a friendly young Indian offers Francis some good advice. Newbery Award-winning author Gary Paulsen skillfully juxtaposes exciting adventure with the dangers endured by pioneers on the Oregon Trail. This tale of heroism and courage is also a realistic look at the hardships endured by early settlers. John Randolf Jones' expert narration provides the perfect climax to this fifth and final book in the Francis Tucket saga.
George, Christy's younger brother, is charming and kind. But is he also a thief? Everyone is delighted when George visits Christy at the Cutter Gap Mission. But the delight ends when George reveals what he has been expelled from school for stealing. Can Christy summon the love and faith to help her brother do the right thing?
The whip cracked and the stallion reared up in pain. Christy cried in horror, 'I've got to find a way to get Prince away from here!' Prince, the mission's stallion, has a cruel new owner. Christy and her students are heartsick. They desperately want to help Prince. But how? Is there a way their magnificent horse can be reclaimed?
As Christy's students are preparing for a school play, she reveals her dream to act on stage. Little does she know that Dr. MacNeill's aunt is the artistic director of the Knoxville Theater. Before long, just as Christy is about to debut on stage, several mysterious incidents threaten both her dreams and her pride.
When Christy travels alone to a nearby mountain, she vows to discover the truth behind the terrifying legend of a strange mountain creature. But what she finds seems worse than anything she could ever have imagined!
Christy waltzed with Doctor MacNeill in an enchanted moment. Suddenly the sharp sound of gunshots shattered the pleasant calm. Bob Allen and many of the residents of Cutter Gap are upset because a black family has moved into the Cove. When a hostile shooting and a series of threatening incidents befalls the Washingtons, Christy steps in to help. But it's a clue in the Washington's family Bible that may hold the real key to peace and acceptance.
Christy Huddleston thought her biggest problem was going to be choosing between the charming country doctor, Neil MacNeill, and the handsome minister, David Grantland. But Christy has more serious matters to deal with when her student Ruby Mae Morrison and the mission's runaway black stallion vanish in a furious storm. As Christy desperately searches for Ruby Mae in the cold, blinding rain, she runs headlong into three angry moonshiners bent on revenge against anyone who might try to stop their illegal activities. Can Christy survive this most terrifying test of her faith and courage?
Christy screamed as the train broke from the track and plunged down the side of the mountain. When Christy is offered a chance to teach in her hometown, she faces a difficult decision. Will her train ride back to Cutter Gap be a journey home, or a last farewell? In a moment of terror and danger, Christy must decide where her future lies.
When Ruby Mae, Bessie, and Clara discover gold in Dead Man's Creek, they form an exclusive group, 'The Princess Club.' Christy watches in dismay as Cutter Gap is torn apart by greed and envy. Can she find a way to heal the bitter divisions caused by a handful of gold?
