In the final volume of the Egerton Hall trilogy, 18-year-old Bella is spending her summer singing with a local band, but two mysterious gifts make her fear for her life, in a suspenseful version of the fairy tale “Snow White.”
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My Rows and Piles of Coins
The market is full of wonderful things, but Saruni is saving his precious coins for a red and blue bicycle. How happy he will be when he can help his mother carry heavy loads to market on his very own bicycle–and how disappointed he is to discover that he hasn’t saved nearly enough!
See the review at WOW Review, Volume 4, Issue 1
Tales from within the Clouds: Nakhi Stories of China
South of the clouds, in the land of the Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, dwell the descendants of a once pastoral people, the Nakhi. In ancient times, family names were passed from mother to child, there were no marriages, and women alone raised children. In the Nakhi language, there is no word for “father.” Today there are still Nakhi who follow these traditions, and Nakhi folktales reflect these beliefs. In the legends presented here we are introduced to a fantastic cast of characters: plants, insects, animals – all of them female! (Nakhi people, Naxi language)
Come Along, Daisy!
This award-winning, beautifully made picture book by Jane Simmons is the story of a duckling who is too busy chasing dragonflies and bouncing on lily pads to stay caught up with Mama Duck. It perfectly captures a little one’s thrill of exploration in this gentle cautionary tale.
Parade of Shadows
In 1907, sixteen-year-old Julia Hamilton, happy to accompany her diplomat father on a tour of the Ottoman-controlled cities of Istambul, Damascus, Palmyra, and Aleppo, soon finds the journey increasingly hazardous as she begins to uncover her father’s true mission and the secret motivations of the other travelers in their group.
Mama’s Favorite
Muri loves his mama, and Mama loves him. But being one of seven, he sometimes wonders who is Mama’s favorite. He thinks maybe she loves his baby sister the most, but whenever he acts like the baby, Mama doesn’t like it. Then he wonders if she loves his oldest sister the most, because she lives far away. But when he threatens to run far away, Mama doesn’t appreciate it. Even when Muri pretends to be sick, Mama is wise to his ways. But when the two of them encounter a fearsome cat out in the yard, Mama grabs Muri and scampers to safety, and Muri finally understands that Mama loves them all the same.
Swimming in the Monsoon Sea
The setting is Sri Lanka, 1980, and it is the season of monsoons. Fourteen-year-old Amrith is caught up in the life of the cheerful, well-to-do household in which he is being raised by his vibrant Auntie Bundle and kindly Uncle Lucky. He tries not to think of his life “before,” when his doting mother was still alive. Amrith’s holiday plans seem unpromising: he wants to appear in his school’s production of Othello and he is learning to type at Uncle Lucky’s tropical fish business. Then, like an unexpected monsoon, his cousin arrives from Canada and Amrith’s ordered life is storm-tossed. He finds himself falling in love with the Canadian boy. Othello, with its powerful theme of disastrous jealousy, is the backdrop to the drama in which Amrith finds himself immersed.
The Happiness of Kati
With the impending death of her mother, Kati, a young Thai girl, completes the puzzle of her past and discovers the reason that her mother gave her up as a baby.
Breakfast At Sadie’s
When 13-year-old Sadie finds her mother’s note saying she has to “get away for awhile,” Sadie is left to manage a bed and breakfast in the Welsh countryside by herself, while at the same time trying to cover her mother’s absence.
Miko. “No Bath! No Way!”
When his mother wants him to take a bath before going to bed, Miko explains that he does not want to wash off his perfect day.