Millie’s is a small family — just a mother, a father, a small brother, Hamish, and her. Both her parents had been orphaned (and were introduced in Watts’ novel Flower), but the family they created was tight-knit and loving. When Millie’s mother announces that she is pregnant, it seems life is perfect. They have each other, and, although the Great Depression has brought hard times to their small town, Millie’s father’s services as a blacksmith are still in demand. But when her mother dies, suddenly everything changes. Her father retreats into depression and Millie, only thirteen, finds herself responsible for a newborn baby. When a stranger appears and threatens the remnants of the family even further, Millie musters courage she never dreamed she had to rebuild the home that means so much to her.Irene N. Watts’ memorable story is as complex and as comforting as family life itself.
Family life
Something Invisible
With a new baby sister and a stepfather, the life of eleven-year-old Jake is full of change, but nothing prepares him for his relationship with an enigmatic girl, her large family, and the tragedy that strikes them all.
Kampung Boy
Relates the life experiences, from birth to beginning boarding school, of a boy growing up on a rubber plantation in rural Malaysia.
Dawn and Dusk
As 13-year-old Azad tries desperately to cling to the life he has known, the political situation in Iran during the war with Iraq finally forces his family to flee their home and seek safety elsewhere.
Today and Today
Collection of small poems-haiku-by the haiku master, Issa. These Haiku bring to light the preciousness of this moment, and the wonder of today. Poem by poem, the cycle of this family’s life together unfolds with moments of simple joy and difficult loss-moments.
Just Like me
Tom is not happy about the arrival of his new baby brother until his parents show that change can be a positive experience.
Would-Be Diary Of A Princess : The Journal Of Jillian James, 5B
In the journal her fifth-year teacher requires, Jillian records the ups and downs of her efforts to become popular as she hosts a class party, creates a school magazine, and tutors some socially misfit boys.
Rickshaw Girl
In her Bangladesh village, ten-year-old Naimi excels at painting designs called alpanas, but to help her impoverished family financially she would have to be a boy or disguise herself as one. Bangladesh is a country in South Asia surrounded by India.
The Key to My Heart
After Jonathan’s dad loses his keys, they retrace all of their steps throughout the day, from the post office to the playground, and all of the places in between.
Going for Oysters
An Australian aborigine family spends the weekend fishing and looking for oysters and they almost forget their grandfather’s warning about the dangers of the eastern swamp.