May/June 2000
— Leaving Emma by Nancy Steele Brokaw; Clarion Books: New York, 1999; $15 Having a best friend can make a kid feel like she’s on top of the world. I know,...
— A city girl discovers freedom and friendship with wild-haired Robbie during a brief stay in the country, then must leave him behind.
— A seven-year-old girl reluctantly tries water-skiing again on the Mississippi River and finally succeeds, discovering the joy she'd been missing.
— A wild white mare evades capture through generations, teaching her foal survival before accepting her own mortality in the crystal mountains.
— A boy encounters a mysterious neighbor who claims to be Beethoven reincarnated, offering musical genius in exchange for sharing his deafness and suffering.
— Summer Hawk by Deborah Savage; Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston, 1999; $16 Have you ever been in a situation you hate? This is exactly what happens to the main character, Melissa....
— A girl who loves ocean life runs away from home during a hurricane, is rescued by dolphins, and learns to appreciate what she has.
— A shy girl misreads a sentence that spans two pages, creating classroom tension until a classmate secretly helps her discover the missing words.
— A girl reluctantly cleans her room instead of playing computer games, rediscovering lost toys and finding satisfaction in organizing her belongings.
— A poem explores the power of words to destroy friendship and the deeper power needed to repair it through forgiveness.