War has always been a game to him, and he’s eager to glimpse it firsthand–until the freighter he and his mother are traveling to the United States on is torpedoed.   When Phillip comes to, he is on a small raft in the middle of the sea. Besides Stew Cat, his only companion is an old West Indian, Timothy. Phillip remembers his mother’s warning about black people: “They are different, and they live differently.”    But by the time the castaways arrive on a small island, Phillip’s head injury has made him blind and dependent on Timothy.

    In the journal she receives for her twelfth birthday in 1835, Lucinda Lawrence describes the hardships her family and other residents of the "Texas colonies" endure when they decide to face the Mexicans in a fight for their freedom.

    Jay Berry Lee's grandpa had an explanation, of course--as he did for most things. The monkeys had escaped from a traveling circus, and there was a handsome reward in store for anyone who could catch them. Grandpa said there wasn't any animal that couldn't be caught somehow, and Jay Berry started out believing him . . .But by the end of the "summer of the monkeys," Jay Berry Lee had learned a lot more than he ever bargained for--and not just about monkeys. He learned about faith, and wishes coming true, and knowing what it is you really want. He even learned a little about growing up . . .This novel, set in rural Oklahoma around the turn of the century, is a heart-warming family story--full of rich detail and delightful characters--about a time and place when miracles were really the simplest of things...

    Should he put the gravely injured dog out of his misery? The look in the animal's eyes says he's not ready to die. It turns out that Kavik's a champion sled dog, and soon he makes a full recovery. When his rightful owner finds out Kavik is alive, he wants the dog back. But Kavik has other ideas. Swiftly paced from the first page . . . dramatic and absorbing. The Horn Book"

    Taro becomes a servant in the household of the noble Lord Akiyama, where he meets Togan, a cook, who teaches Taro and makes his new life bearable. But when Togan is murdered, Taro’s life takes a new direction: He will become a samurai, and redeem the family legacy that has been stolen from him.

    But a terrible accident seriously injures Evan’s drunken father, forcing Evan to saddle up instead. This is no ordinary race. Running from Texas to New England, its course is eighteen hundred miles—maybe even longer—and Evan will be riding a barely half-broke mustang stallion that he and his father caught. He’ll be competing against all breeds of horses, ridden by professionals and amateurs from across the world. Although Evan has learned a lot about horses from his father, Edward has also taught his son that horses are good for nothing—“You ride one to death, you get another and do the same.” Luckily, but somewhat reluctantly, the race’s chief veterinarian, Patrick Jack, takes Evan under his wing. But a horse doctor can teach a hot-headed teenager only so much. For six weeks, Evan Kendrick will learn a lot about horses, riding, friendship, life—and himself. He’ll form alliances with two of his competitors, a Negro Seminole Indian scout named Dindie Remo and a hard-drinking young woman, Arena Lancaster, whose life has been harder than even young Evan’s. Evan will make enemies, too. He’ll see new country, and he’ll discover what America can offer, both good and bad. But to win this race—to even survive it—Evan will have to put his trust in a tough stallion the color of trader’s whiskey: a mustang named Taos Lightning.

    Along with a handful of other entrepreneurs, they've stepped off the train into the brand-new town of Florence, Oklahoma, and started building a future.But the president of the railroad says no more trains will stop in Florence -- ever. Without the railroad, the town can't survive. So it's up to Cissy, her family, friends, and neighbors to stop the train any way they can.