Watcher in the Piney Woods


Book Description

As the Civil War draws to a close, a young Virginia girl grieving over the death of her brother meets a Confederate deserter As the Civil War rages nearby, Cassie Willis and her family struggle to scrape a living from their small Virginia farm, while Cassie’s father and beloved brother, Jacob, are away fighting with the Confederate army. When a letter arrives with the news that Jacob has been killed, Cassie and her dog, Hector, immediately go to the secret hiding place Cassie and Jacob shared—a thicket deep in the piney woods. But when she finds the remains of a campsite, she realizes that someone has been living in their special place. Suddenly afraid, Cassie tries to flee, but runs smack into a Confederate deserter. With Hector’s help, she escapes. But she can’t forget the man’s crazed eyes—or the way he threatened her. Soon, Cassie begins to have the strange feeling that she’s being watched—and then things start disappearing from the farm. Has the deserter returned to make good on his warnings, or is someone else lurking in the woods, waiting to harm Cassie and her family? This ebook includes a historical afterword.







A Watcher in the Woods


Book Description




A Watcher in the Woods


Book Description




Circle of Fire


Book Description

In 1958, a girl risks everything to put a stop to a deadly Ku Klux Klan plot to bomb her Tennessee school The middle child in a family of eight, Mendy Anna Thompson was named after her grandmother’s hero—former first lady Anna Eleanor Roosevelt. Playing in the woods near her house in Monteagle, Tennessee, with Mr. Hare, her tamed wild rabbit, Mendy likes to imagine traveling around the world with Mrs. Roosevelt. But Mr. Hare is no substitute for Mendy’s best friend, Jeffrey, whom her parents have forbidden her to see because she’s black and he’s white. But one night, Mendy notices evidence of trespassers in the secret clearing behind her house. When she sets out to investigate, she uncovers a plot to bomb her high school during a visit by Eleanor Roosevelt! Now Mendy and Jeffrey, who meet in secret, must find a way to foil the Ku Klux Klan before they succeed in their wicked scheme. Based on true events, Circle of Fire is a moving and suspenseful story of friendship and race relations in the segregated South. This ebook includes a historical afterword.




Mystery on Skull Island


Book Description

In 1724, Rachel Howell leaves New York for South Carolina . . . and plunges into a dangerous world of pirates and hidden treasure that threatens her family’s future When New York–born and –raised Rachel Howell sails for South Carolina to be reunited with her father, the last thing she expects is to be attacked by pirates! She’s lucky to escape with her life, but the attackers take a pearl necklace belonging to her dead mother. Things go from bad to worse when Rachel arrives safely in Charles Town and learns her father is getting married again. The one bright spot is her friendship with Sally Pugh, the daughter of the local tavern owner. Until Papa’s bride-to-be arrives . . . and forbids Rachel from seeing Sally. Determined to remain friends, Rachel and Sally search for a secret place to meet. They discover a hidden island in the Charles Town port, containing a sinkhole filled with quicksand, rocks with mysterious markings, . . . and a human skull. But when the girls are stranded overnight and overhear men in a hidden lagoon, they realize they’ve stumbled onto something big. It could destroy Rachel’s father’s business . . . and Rachel’s life. This ebook includes a historical afterword.




The Night Flyers


Book Description

Winner of the Edgar Award: When her homing pigeons disappear while her father is fighting in World War I, a twelve-year-old girl suspects a German spy may be responsible With her father in France, fighting in the war, Pam Lowder has the responsibility of taking care of the family’s prize-winning homing pigeons on their farm. The birds are special because her father trained them to fly at night so they can bring messages to his family when he’s not there. And now a stranger with a foreign accent has shown up in Currituck with an offer to buy the whole lot. But Pam isn’t interested in selling. She loves the pigeons and would much rather spend time with them than go to school. Then she wakes up one morning to find some pigeons missing. After the disappearance of Caspian, her favorite, the plucky pigeoneer sets a plan in motion to catch the thief. She has a pretty good idea who it is. But how is she supposed to rescue her pigeons and outwit a German spy? This ebook includes a historical afterword.




Summer Bridge Activities¨, Grades 3 - 4


Book Description

Give your soon-to-be fourth grader a head start on their upcoming school year with Summer Bridge Activities: Bridging Grades 3-4. With daily, 15-minute exercises kids can review calculating area and using quotation marks and learn new skills like fractions, similes, and metaphors. This workbook series prevents summer learning loss and paves the way to a successful new school year. --And this is no average workbookÑSummer Bridge Activities keeps the fun and the sun in summer break! Designed to prevent a summer learning gap and keep kids mentally and physically active, the hands-on exercises can be done anywhere. These standards-based activities help kids set goals, develop character, practice fitness, and explore the outdoors. With 12 weeks of creative learning, Summer Bridge Activities keeps skills sharp all summer long!




Mystery at Chilkoot Pass


Book Description

Gold fever sweeps the country as a twelve-year-old aspiring writer travels to the Yukon with her family and best friend, fighting natural disasters and a clever thief After traveling from San Francisco by steam ship, Hetty McKinley, her best friend, Alma, and their families prepare for the five-hundred-mile trek north to the gold fields of the Yukon. It’s only September, but the Arctic Circle is already frigid. As the two families, along with hundreds of other prospectors, camp out for the night near the outpost of Dyea, Hetty catches a glimpse of the legendary Chilkoot Pass, the narrow gap through which they’ll cross Alaska into Canada. But the next morning, Alma’s mother discovers that all their money is gone! A few days later, Hetty’s cherished locket, containing a photograph of her dead mother, disappears. More thefts soon follow, but these are the least of their problems. Soon, the group is battling typhoid, blizzards, and a terrifying avalanche. Will Hetty and her family and friends survive their journey to the top of the world? This ebook includes a historical afterword.




Trouble at Fort La Pointe


Book Description

Nominated for the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Mystery: In 1732, a twelve-year-old girl of Ojibwe and French heritage must clear her father of a stealing charge—or risk being separated from him forever Suzette Choudoir always looks forward to summer, when her family leaves the Ojibwe people’s winter camp and returns to the summer gathering place on La Pointe Island. This year her papa, a French fur trader, hopes to win a trappers’ competition. If he does, he can remain with his family year-round, instead of paddling away to far-off Montreal in autumn. When someone steals a bale of valuable furs, however, suspicion falls on Papa. Determined to find the real thief, Suzette gathers clues and tries to track down the missing furs. But it will take all of her courage to clear her father’s name. If she can’t, her family will be forced to leave La Pointe Island in disgrace, and Suzette—a black-haired, blue-eyed girl of mixed cultural heritage—may never find a true home. This ebook includes a historical afterword.