In 1950, at the Eskimo village of Koyalik in the Alaska Territory, two young missionaries' prayers are answered when they receive a dog sled-team of huskies with Mik-Shrok as its leader.
Years ago a beautiful golden cowrie was part of Uncle Philip's collection of rare shells. Now it's missing because Uncle Philip hid it. But where did he put it? With Aunt Laura's help, Connie begins to search for the golden cowrie. But someone else is also looking for the shell--someone who could be dangerous. Connie's visit to Aunt Laura takes a mysterious turn in The Secret to the Golden Cowrie.
Sixth-grader Amy and her family move to Taiwan to do missionary work, but even at her school for English-speaking students Amy finds the adjustment difficult.
From acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson comes this compelling first novel in the historical middle grade The Seeds of America trilogy that shows the lengths we can go to cast off our chains, both physical and spiritual. As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.
Six-year-old Anna Pellowski’s older siblings, Jacob, Franciszek, Barney, Mary and Pauline are exposed to English at school, but only Polish is spoken at home. The younger children—Anna, Julian, Anton barely know a word of their new country’s language, but then neither do many of their neighbors. When the family goes to town to celebrate the 100th birthday of the United States, the speaker gives his speech in a mix of German, Polish, Bohemian and Norwegian! Some years before, in the mid 1800’s, Anna’s mother, father and brother Baby Jacob had come from Poland to live in a tiny sod house in Western Wisconsin and establish the very first farm in the entire Latsch Valley. Now the growing family lives in a real house, with neighbors on every side, and the world for quietly curious Anna is filled with fascinating possibilities—as well as lots of hard work. Sometimes she dreams of going back to the Poland she is always hearing about, but increasingly she realizes that life in Latsch Valley, with its rich cultural rhythm of work, play and religious faith, holds everything she could possibly want.
The long days on the trail were filled with excitement for adventurous Carrie Talbot. And at the end of the trail waited more adventure -- she was going to start a brand new life at the Indian mission established by her uncle. Then a sudden encounter with an Indian raiding party left Carrie with more excitement than she wanted. As she rode off helplessly with her captors, frantic thoughts raced through Carrie's mind. Why was one of the Indians so interested in the family Bible she had managed to save? How could she escape? Even if she did, how could she ever find the wagon train again? The raiding party took Carrie deep into the wilderness to a Cheyenne camp on the banks of a distant river. There Carrie met the Indian called the Keeper and began a life far different from any she had ever imagined. - Back cover.
Twelve-year-old Josh Bramlett and his family dream of buying ranch land. But before they do, they must sell their first herd of cattle, and it's a very long way to market. The trail delivers wild animals, deadly insects, and dangerous outlaws.