Family camping trips were Liz’s favourite thing in the world, fishing and playing and laughing together in the sunlight. But when she wanders off on just such a trip, following a furry little creature into the woods, she quickly discovers that there are dangers to be found in nature as well. She loves all animals, almost as much as she loves adventure, but some sure are scary. Liz knows she must be very careful, as she searches for her family―who are also searching for her―but she still manages to make some new forest friends and learn to live as they do, studying them and finding food and drink among the leaves, as she does her best to survive her adventure in the wild woods ... and find her way back home.
From the acclaimed author of Blood Orange comes this unforgettable, mesmerizing tale of the power of friendships-and the secrets that can destroy them. . . It has been over thirty years since the words "Bluegang Creek" passed their lips. Because something that happened near that shady stream has shaped their lives-and haunted their darkest hours. Now, Liz can no longer bear the silence. What she is about to bring out into the light will test the very limits of friendship-and take all three women back to that fateful summer day when their innocence was shattered forever. . . A novel of friendship and forgiveness, Wildwood brings to life the lengths to which women will go to protect themselves-and each other-in the name of loyalty. . .and in the name of love. "The pull of family and career, the limits of friendship and the demands of love all come to vivid life in Wildwood." -Susan Vreeland, author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue "Resist the urge to turn the page to find out what happens next. Linger, instead, to savor the skillfully crafted writing." -Judy Reeves, author of The Writer's Book of Days
The inspiring biography of the adventuresome naturalist Carol Ruckdeschel and her crusade to save her island home from environmental disaster. In a “moving homage . . . that artfully articulates the ferocities of nature and humanity,” biographer Will Harlan captures the larger-than-life story of biologist, naturalist, and ecological activist Carol Ruckdeschel, known to many as the wildest woman in America. She wrestles alligators, eats roadkill, rides horses bareback, and lives in a ramshackle cabin that she built by hand in an island wilderness. A combination of Henry David Thoreau and Jane Goodall, Carol is a self-taught scientist who has become a tireless defender of sea turtles on Cumberland Island, a national park off the coast of Georgia (Kirkus Reviews). Cumberland, the country’s largest and most biologically diverse barrier island, is celebrated for its windswept dunes and feral horses. Steel magnate Thomas Carnegie once owned much of the island, and in recent years, Carnegie heirs and the National Park Service have clashed with Carol over the island’s future. What happens when a dirt-poor naturalist with only a high school diploma becomes an outspoken advocate on a celebrated but divisive island? Untamed is the story of an American original who fights for what she believes in, no matter the cost, “an environmental classic that belongs on the shelf alongside Carson, Leopold, Muir, and Thoreau” (Thomas Rain Crowe, author of Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods). “Vivid. . . . Ms. Ruckdeschel’s biography, and the way this wandering soul came to settle for so many decades on Cumberland Island, is big enough on its own, but Mr. Harlan hints at bigger questions.” —The Wall Street Journal “Wild country produces wild people, who sometimes are just what’s needed to keep that wild cycle going. This is a memorable portrait.” —Bill McKibben, author of The End of Nature “Deliciously engrossing. . . . Readers are in for a wild ride.” —The Citizen-Times
A People Magazine Best Books for Summer Selection "A richly imagined middle-grade examination of sibling dynamics with plenty of endearing fantasy elements." --People Magazine In a funny and charming fantastical romp, overlooked Princess Marigold is nothing like her perfect, just-returned sister--so she runs away to an evil wizard's tower to prove her wickedness. Princess Marigold--who hadn't yet been born when the remarkable Princess Rosalind was kidnapped--is eleven when the unthinkable happens: her older sister escapes her captivity and comes home. Marigold has always known she's not as good, sweet, or kind as the sister everyone adores, but amid the celebration of Rosalind's return, Marigold realizes something new: if Princess Rosalind is good, then Princess Marigold must be wicked. And there's no place for wickedness in the kingdom. When Marigold tries to find a new place for herself in an evil wizard's fortress, though, the results are disastrous. Before she's even learned to cackle or scowl properly, she gets tangled up in a magical plot to ruin all the Cacophonous Kingdoms. Is Marigold too wicked to make things right? Or can she--with the help of a kitchen boy, a well-dressed imp, and a grumpy blob of glop--find her own way to restore peace? This endearing fantasy will have princess and anti-princess fans alike chuckling and cheering.
