September/October 2010
— A teenage girl moves to a California cottage and befriends her reclusive neighbor, discovering the woman's tragic past and learning not to judge by appearances.
— A whale mourns his sister's death at human hands, his mournful song misunderstood as beautiful by those who hear it.
— A girl gets lost in the forest at dusk and follows a mysterious great horned owl through the darkness back to her parents' campsite.
— A young writer celebrates the simple pleasures of a family camp by a lake—sailboats, loons, hammocks, and the feeling of being protected from the world.
— A family's failed miniature golf outing becomes an unplanned beach walk, leading to a realization about the perfection found in spontaneous moments versus carefully planned ones.
— Counter Clockwise, by Jason Cockcroft; Katherine Tegen Books: New York, 2009; $15.99 Have you ever read a book that has changed the way you look at your life? A book...
— Two cousins fight to survive after a storm wrecks their uncle's tourist ship, leaving them adrift in a lifeboat that eventually sinks, forcing them to float until rescue arrives.
— A poem cataloging moments of joy and freedom — from fireside reading to summer swimming — before an alarm clock shatters the dream.
— A scrappy urban fox survives by scavenging until a train accident lands him in an animal shelter, where he's healed and released into a forest home.
— Slept Away, by Julie Kraut; Delacorte Books for Young Readers: New York, 2009; $8.99. When I first picked up Slept Away at the bookstore, I expected it to be a...