Old Dan had the brawn. Little Ann had the brains, and Billy had the will to make them into the finest hunting team in the valley. Glory and victory were coming to them, but sadness waited too. Where the Red Fern Grows is an exciting tale of love and adventure you'll never forget.

    –from the Song of David (2 Samuel 22:35) The Bronze Bow, written by Elizabeth George Speare (author of The Witch of Blackbird Pond) won the Newbery Medal in 1962. This gripping, action-packed novel tells the story of eighteen-year-old Daniel bar Jamin—a fierce, hotheaded young man bent on revenging his father’s death by forcing the Romans from his land of Israel. Daniel’s palpable hatred for Romans wanes only when he starts to hear the gentle lessons of the traveling carpenter, Jesus of Nazareth. A fast-paced, suspenseful, vividly wrought tale of friendship, loyalty, the idea of home, community . . . and ultimately, as Jesus says to Daniel on page 224: “Can’t you see, Daniel, it is hate that is the enemy? Not men. Hate does not die with killing. It only springs up a hundredfold. The only thing stronger than hate is love.” A powerful, relevant read in turbulent times.

    Big Mo is well-known in his tribe as a great fighter and an alcoholic. A rich, four-cow man, he doesn't feel the need of anything. That is, until the day he attends a burning of a dead mother and her still living child. Feeling pangs of injustice, Big Mo tries to save the infant, but is too late. The witch doctor condemns his actions, and Big Mo begins a journey to find meaning in his life and answers to his questions. During this time he finds Dookie, an abandoned infant about to be devoured by wild dogs. After saving the child, Big Mo attempts to raise the child on his own. As the child grows, she makes friends with another girl who is her own age and who is a Christian. This sparks a feud between himself and the tribal witch doctor who curses Big Mo and Dookie with the "curse of the snake." Ironically, the young child is bitten by a poisonous snake a few months later and becomes deathly ill to the point that a cure seems hopeless. Is the power of the evil spirits stronger than the Christian magic that Big Mo is learning about? Follow the tales of Big Mo and his adoptive daughter, Dookie, in their Indian village as they learn about the Great Spirit from the Christians. A must-read for all ages, Dookie, Sookie, and Big Mo will make you laugh and cry, and bring you closer to the Christian God they are learning to love, Jesus Christ.

    Liz Gordon is trying to forget a broken engagement and turns to fashion designing and a handsome young man. Melanie Prill is hiding a shaky sense of social status by associating with “proper” people only. Penny Saunders thinks she is plain and is afraid, also can’t imagine herself with girl friends – let alone boyfriends. And Cara Jamison, is a talented artist who becomes hopelessly entangled in a maze of deceit because she is afraid that the barrier of prejudice might hamper her career.

    When Gerritt and Jan witnessed by little Alida, accidentally kill the Indian, Gray Owl's uncle, the Indian nephew vows revenge. Gerritt also makes a vow, to compensate for his black deed by becoming a doctor. Young Alida grows up and is sought after by the wealthy van Rensselaer and the famous de Vries, but when Gerritt returns from his training, she chooses him. The bloody Indian Dutch wars, said to have been triggered by the previous killing, occupies much of the story. As do the customs of New Amsterdam, portraits of its citizens, and incidents in their lives. Altogether, this makes for absorbing reading from beginning to end. Kirkus

    The eldest deer was big, the middle deer was just as big, and the youngest deer was half as big as his two brothers. So --- they called him Half-As-Big. Elder Brother was the strongest, Middle Brother was the fastest. Half-As-Big was the wishingest -- he wished he was big and he did not like his name. One day a fierce tiger spotted the deer and proceeded to circle around them. The two biggest brothers would do nothing to help with the situation. So Half-As-Big decided he must take care of this tiger. With cunning and smartness, Half-As-Big tricked the tiger twice, even though the tiger had a fox helping him. That tiger turned around and ran away so fast after the tricky tales, that he was never spotted again. "We didn't know you could think so quickly and that you had so much courage." said the oldest brothers. "I didn't know it either!" said Half-As-Big. And from that time on, even though he was still half-as-big, his name was now Twice-As-Smart --- because he was!

    Her snow-white horse stepped proudly on the pathway of petals, as though he knew that the princess sitting on his saddle was the most beautiful lady in the whole of Cristendom.