Knight."In lyrical prose and black-and-white photographs, Lasky's book depicts the Lacey family of Vermont making maple syrup...A rare kind of nonfiction, informative yet as easily read as fiction." (School Library Journal)

    But when a social service agency tries to put Ronald into a special home, Vernon fights against the move.

    Much more than a tale of whaling ships and gentle Quaker eccentricities, it is a tale of friendship-the kind most truly espoused by these 'plain' folk, with all the struggle and complexity one should expect. Dionis "Dencey" Coffyn is a mystery to her mother, Lydia, whose stern exterior hides a heart that breaks every time her husband Captain Tom goes to sea. Within a context of outward simplicity of living and inward intricacy of relationship, Dencey matures from the little girl who, in unquakerly violence of temper, throws a rock that wounds the town outcast. She becomes a young woman ready to bear her part in life with grace and courage. Downright Dencey is a probing portrayal of the power of love to overcome social barriers and religious strictures. Ages 12 and up.

    A family mystery is unraveled by a boy and girl visiting their uncle one summer.

    Almost nowhere in fiction is there a stranger, dearer, or funnier family -- and the life that the members of The Animal Family live together, there in the wilderness beside the sea, is as extraordinary and as enchanting as the family itself.

    When she shares her secrets, strange things start happening in their old house. They suspect Amanda until they learn the house was long ago haunted by a ghost that cut off the head of a wooden cupid on the stairway. A Newbery Honor Book.

    (A) literary folk story at its best".--School Library Journal. Newbery Honor Book; ALA Notable Children's Book.

    Without ever leaving the world of a Cheyenne tribe in the 1830s, she creates a youthful protagonist many readers will recognize in themselves. Young Elk is expected to be a warrior, but killing even an enemy sickens him. He would rather catch and tame the mustangs that run in herds. Sandoz makes it clear that his determination to be a horsecatcher will require a moral and physical courage equal to that of any warrior. And if he must earn the right to live as he wishes, he must also draw closer to family and community.

    Who will plant and harvest the corn that they need to survive--and to please the Mayan gods? The neighbors have fields of their own to tend, and Tigre's mother and grandmother cannot do it on their own. Twelve-year-old Tigre has never done a man's work before. Can he shoulder the burden on his own, and take his father's place?"A book of special artistic distinction, with its well-told story rich in Mayan folkway and custom and its boldly appropriate drawings."--The Horn Book

    Vividly illustrated.

    His destiny is to find a friendly hearth and inspire its owner with the beauty and wisdom of the river's song.

    While nine-year-old Nancy is staying with her adopted Swedish grandparents for a year, everyone tries to figure out how she can celebrate a name day since her name isn't Swedish.

    In them an assortment of animals, magical creatures, witches, giants, and children struggle for a life in which good overcomes evil. These fast-moving and adventuresome fantasies provide insight into the values and culture of native South American peoples. They stress the importance of close relationships, hard work, bravery, gentleness, and beauty, and contain colorful explanations of natural phenomena.A tale of three tails --The magic dog --The calabash man --Na-Ha the fighter --The humming-bird and the flower --The magic ball --El Enano --The hero twins --The four hundred --The killing of Cabrakan --The tale of the gentle folk --The tale that cost a dollar --The magic knot --The bad wishers --The hungry old witch --The wonderful mirror --The tale of the lazy people --Rairu and the star maiden --The cat and the dream man (less)

    During that special half-hour of twilight--the dark-thirty--pick one of these spine-tingling tales and savor it...-A white bus driver who refuses a ride to a penniless black woman later encounters her ghost.-Phantom pictures etched on the windowpanes of a man's house proclaim his guilt in a lynching. -A retired Pullman porter hears a ghostly whistle and knows it's the last train he'll ever ride. Mesmerizing and breathtakingly original, these tales are inspired by African American history and range from the time of slavery to the civil rights era of the twentieth century. With her extraordinary gift for suspense and her sure sense of storytelling, Patricia C. McKissack has created a heart-stopping collection of lasting value, a book not quickly forgotten.

    Jack Schaefer, author of the classic Shane, has written a timeless story about the friendship of a wise old shepherd and a young boy set in the Mojave Desert.