"Any dog lover will appreciate this heartwarming tale of love and perseverance." - Publisher's Weekly
Klynt's days on her Papa's farm are all the same, even during wartime. Until the robodog, that is. A dystopic but heartwarming novel-in-verse perfect for fans of Pax by Sara Pennypacker.
"Latham uses an invented lexicon of delightfully creative and expressive hybrid words—jinglesnap, boomblasts, itchglitchy—to tell this... girl-meets-dog story of hope, perseverance, and survival." - Kirkus
Ludelphia Bennett may be blind in one eye, but that doesn't mean she can't put in a good stitch. In fact, Ludelphia sews all the time, especially when things are going wrong. But when Mama gets deathly ill, it doesn't seem like even quilting will help. Mama needs medicine badly - medicine that can only be found in Camden, over forty miles away. That's when Ludelphia decides to do something drastic - leave Gee's Bend.
Beyond the log cabins, orange dirt, and cotton fields of her small sharecropping community, Ludelphia discovers a world she could never have imagined. Fancy houses, cars, and even soda pop! But there's also danger lurking for a young girl on her own, and Ludelphia begins to wonder if she'll ever see Gee's Bend or her Mama again. Despite the twists and turns, Ludelphia weathers each challenge in a way that would make her mama proud, and may even save the day not just for Mama, but her entire town.
Set in 1932 and inspired by the rich quilting history of Gee's bend, Alabama, LEAVING GEE'S BEND is a heart-touching tale of a young girl's unexpected adventure.
Magnolia Award Nominee
2011 Alabama Library Association Children's Book of the Year
Crystal Kite Award Finalist
SIBA Book Award Finalist
Bank Street College Best Book
ALSC Notable Children's Book Nominee
Kentucky Bluegrass State Finalist
Top Ten Alabama Books List
IndieNext Kids List Spring 2010
Don't Feed The Boy
ISBN: 978-1596437555
Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan
"Readers won't soon forget Whit and Stella's adventures." —Publisher's Weekly
"This is solid storytelling." - School Library Journal
"Don't Feed the Boy
is a delightfully satisfying
blend of action and
emotion, tension and
heart. Everyone should
have a best friend like
Whit."
—Kathryn Erskine, winnerof the National Book Award for Mockingbird
No kid knows more about zoo life than Whit. That's because he sleeps, eats and even
attends home-school at the Meadowbrook Zoo. It's one of the perks of having a mother
who's the zoo director and a father who's the head elephant keeper. Now that he's
eleven, Whit feels trapped by the rules and routine of zoo life. With so many exotic
animals, it's easy to get overlooked. But when Whit notices a mysterious girl who visits
every day to draw the birds, suddenly the zoo becomes much more interesting. Who is
the Bird Girl? And why does she come by herself to the zoo?
Determined to gain her trust, Whit takes the Bird Girl on his own personal tour of the
zoo. He shows her his favorite animals and what happens with them behind the scenes.
For Whit, having a friend his own age that he can talk to is an exciting new experience.
For Stella the Bird Girl, the zoo and Whit are a necessary escape from her chaotic
home life. Together they take risks in order to determine where it is they each belong.
But when Stella asks Whit for an important and potentially dangerous favor, Whit
discovers how complicated friendship—and freedom—can be.
Brimming with animal facts, adventure and tender truths, this heart-touching tale is
about the human struggle to find one's place in the world.