Fifteen-year-old Sara Moone, abandonded at birth and shunted from one foster home to another, finds that she cannot remain aloof from her latest family.
Realistic Fiction
Realistic Fiction genre
The Gift Stone
Jean, who lives underground in an Australian opal mining town, finds a precious stone large enough to allow her to move into a proper house with her grandparents.
The Maestro
Fleeing from his brutal father, fourteen-year-old Burl arrives at the remote cabin of an eccentric genius who in just one day changes the young man’s life forever.
At the Beach
When Xiao Ming goes with his mother to the beach, he likes to splash in the water and dry off in the sun just like everyone else. But his favorite thing to do is to draw in the sand with a stick. Today, his mother is helping him learn Chinese. Xiao Ming thinks writing Chinese characters is just like drawing pictures.
The Dove
A visiting dove provides the answer to Grandmother Maloko’s financial problems when floodwaters destroy her crops and she must rely on the sale of her homemade jewelry.
Island Summer
Summer transforms a quiet island as visitors arrive for swimming, playing on the beach, card games, soccer, hide-and-seek, and dancing in the evening.
When Africa Was Home
After returning to the United States, Peter’s whole family misses the warmth and friendliness of their life in Africa; so Peter’s father looks for another job there.
Awake And Dreaming
While living a miserable, poverty-stricken life with her young, irresponsible mother, nine-year-old Theo dreams of belonging to a real family but finds a shadowy figure haunting her thoughts.
Kevin Goes to the Hospital
Kevin (and his bear) go to the hospital after he falls and injures himself.
Beatrice’s Goat
More than anything, Beatrice longs to be a schoolgirl. But in her small African village, only children who can afford uniforms and books can go to school. Beatrice knows that with six children to care for, her family is much too poor. But then Beatrice receives a wonderful gift from some people far away — a goat! Fat and sleek as a ripe mango, Mugisa (which means “luck”) gives milk that Beatrice can sell. With Mugisa’s help, it looks as if Beatrice’s dream may come true after all. Based on a true story about the work of Project Heifer.