January/February 2005
— A boy discovers his natural rock-climbing talent during a family vacation, then faces his first real test when his sister's life hangs in the balance on a Greek cliff.
— The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera; Harcourt, Inc.: New York, 1987; $17 I enjoyed reading The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera because the main character, Kahu, had many characteristics which...
— A girl narrates her family's early morning departure from North Carolina to Texas, struggling to accept leaving the only home she's ever known.
— A young thief steals a sacred necklace to pay for his father's doctor, but when an innocent girl faces execution for his crime, he must choose between saving her life...
— A volunteer firefighter rescues a boy from a burning house, reliving memories of being saved from a fire by his sister years earlier.
— A girl observes her cat Trixie sleeping on the dining room table, cataloging each gesture and sound with tender attention and affection.
— When her best friend Aisha's brother is jailed and the family must flee to Singapore, Melly struggles to support her friend through crisis and impending separation.
— A farm family loses their home to bank foreclosure and moves to a West Virginia coal mining town, where they find hope in staying together despite the difficult changes.
— A child climbs a metaphorical ladder to sleep, ascending through expanding views from house to world, then drifting back down into dreams.
— A fourteen-year-old Confederate soldier marches through dawn fog to ambush a Union camp, then confronts the horror of killing boys his own age.