May/June 2012
— A ten-year-old mariachi violinist battles stage fright before performing a Spanish love song solo at the International Mariachi Conference in Tucson.
— A girl meets a shelter cat whose piteous call and pale green eyes transfix her, leading to adoption and the naming of Stella.
— A family hikes through scorching heat to a waterfall, where the narrator climbs rocks and discovers a breathtaking view of the shimmering river below.
— A girl watches wild horses from behind a rock, naming each one and calling them her 'silent friends' who don't know she exists.
— Dogtag Summer, by Elizabeth Partridge; Bloomsbury: New York, 2011; $16.99 I’m not adopted, but what if I was? What if one day you wake up and find out that the...
— Three sisters reluctantly move to a new house, discover a magical sphere that grants three wishes, and use them to find their lost dog and build a treehouse.
— A granddaughter and grandfather share quiet tea on the back porch, watching the sunset and listening to the world together in companionable silence.
— A Sri Lankan tea plucker works through pain and betrayal to earn enough money to buy her orphaned brother a birthday cake, discovering true friendship along the way.
— The Grave Robber’s Secret, by Anna Myers; Walker & Company: New York, 2011; $16.99 The main character in The Grave Robber’s Secret, Robby, is a twelve-year-old boy who lives in...
— A younger sister struggles with jealousy when her talented older sister enters a prestigious surfing competition, but when disaster strikes, she rushes to save her.