This 1930 Newbery Honor Book relates an exciting tale of adventure in which four orphaned children head for the South Dakota prairie, where they battle drought, squatters, and other challenges.
Maria lifted her hand to knock, but stopped when she heard a woman speaking. "Pastor, I met the most pathetic-looking girl yesterday," the voice said. "Where was that?" "Here at the church . . ." Maria felt her face burning with shame. She had fallen into disgrace, but not far enough to endure the term "pathetic." * * * "Did you come to the Ladies' Aid Meeting?" the woman asked. "Yeah. I came for aid," Maria answered, trying to control the bitterness in her voice. "I came for aid yesterday, but you asked me to eat and I did. I came again today to see if you needed a janitor to clean the church, but I know you don't, so I'll leave." * * * Maria Grant feels she at her wit's end-hungry, weary, and bedraggled-all for the love of a boy. Why did she leave her loving family to be near Orville? He didn't care one iota for her. She had sunk so low, all because of Orville.
The most prodigal, prolific, and visionary director to emerge from post-sixties Hollywood, Robert Altman is a man whose mystique sometimes threatens to overshadow his many critically acclaimed films (including MASH).
This 1930 Newbery Honor Book relates an exciting tale of adventure in which four orphaned children head for the South Dakota prairie, where they battle drought, squatters, and other challenges.
One pregnancy. Four friends. It all adds up to a profound time of change in this poignant, sensitively written YA novel. (Age 14 and up) Ellie remembers how the boys kissed her. Touched her. How they begged for more. And when she gave it to them, she felt loved. For a while anyway. So when Josh, an eager virgin with a troubled home life, leads her from a party to the backseat of his van, Ellie follows. But their "one-time thing" is far from perfect: Ellie gets pregnant. Josh reacts with shame and heartbreak, while their confidantes, Caleb and Corinne, deal with their own complex swirl of emotions. No matter what Ellie chooses, all four teenagers will be forced to grow up a little faster as a result. Told alternately from each character’s point of view, this deeply insightful novel explores the aftershocks of the biggest decision of one fragile girl’s life -- and the realities of leaving innocence behind.
A trip to the Moon? Sounds like the perfect family vacation. Only, for 13-year-old Charles "Chigger" Dingillian, life is anything but perfect. His parents fight so much, they put the "dis" into dysfunctional. His brothers, Stinky and Weird, are impossible to get along with. And his neighborhood is a down-trodden tunnel community on Earth. It's supposed to be a short vacation—a trip up the Line, Earth's space elevator, and then home again. Halfway there, Chigger hits on a plan: if his parents can't find a way to work things out, why not just divorce them? The idea sounds crazy . . . until it works. But Chigger soon realizes he has much bigger problems: The people they meet on the Moon seem overly friendly and way too interested in his family. Suddenly, the quick pleasure trip takes a detour into danger as Chigger suspects they are targets of an interstellar manhunt. Their only hope may be to jump off the planet.
Working up the courage to take a big, important leap is hard, but Jabari is almost absolutely ready to make a giant splash. Jabari is definitely ready to jump off the diving board. He’s finished his swimming lessons and passed his swim test, and he’s a great jumper, so he’s not scared at all. “Looks easy,” says Jabari, watching the other kids take their turns. But when his dad squeezes his hand, Jabari squeezes back. He needs to figure out what kind of special jump to do anyway, and he should probably do some stretches before climbing up onto the diving board. In a sweetly appealing tale of overcoming your fears, newcomer Gaia Cornwall captures a moment between a patient and encouraging father and a determined little boy you can’t help but root for.