Download or read book Dancing In Cadillac Light written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2002-11-11 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1968 looks like it'll be a pretty good year for Jaynell Lambert. The town's going to pave the dirt road she lives on, her girly-girl sister, Racine, isn't driving her completely crazy, and Grandpap has just moved in with his new emerald green Cadillac convertible. Jaynell and Grandpap have something special. But why won't Grandpap tell her the reason he visits with the dirt-poor Pickens family on the other side of town? When Jaynell finds out Grandpap's secret, the legacy of an old man transforms a family, and a town. "At once gritty and poetic, stark and sentimental . . . a solid page turner. Holt once again displays her remarkable gift."(School Library Journal, starred review)

Download or read book When Zachary Beaver Came to Town written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2011-07-19 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: National Book Award Winner The red words painted on the trailer caused quite a buzz around town and before an hour was up, half of Antler was standing in line with two dollars clutched in hand to see the fattest boy in the world. Toby Wilson is having the toughest summer of his life. It's the summer his mother leaves for good; the summer his best friend's brother returns from Vietnam in a coffin. And the summer that Zachary Beaver, the fattest boy in the world, arrives in their sleepy Texas town. While it's a summer filled with heartache of every kind, it's also a summer of new friendships gained and old friendships renewed. And it's Zachary Beaver who turns the town of Antler upside down and leaves everyone, especially Toby, changed forever. With understated elegance, Kimberly Willis Holt tells a compelling coming-of-age story about a thirteen-year-old boy struggling to find himself in an imperfect world. At turns passionate and humorous, this extraordinary novel deals sensitively and candidly with obesity, war, and the true power of friendship. When Zachary Beaver Came to Town is the winner of the 1999 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. This title has Common Core connections.

Download or read book Best Friends written by Bonnie Bryant and published by Skylark. This book was released on 2013-01-30 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It’s almost Christmas, and The Saddle Club is busily preparing for an exciting show. But part of their preparation involves raising money — a lot of it! When Lisa realizes that Carole and Stevie are having a hard time coming up with the cash, she takes matters into her own hands. But at the same time, Carole and Stevie are secretly plotting to help each other. Will The Saddle Club be able to fix their fund fiasco in time for the show? Meanwhile, a winter storm is brewing that may give the girls even more trouble. When things get rough, The Saddle Club must pull together more than ever, and prove that the strength of friendship can get them through even the toughest times.

Download or read book My Louisiana Sky written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR). This book was released on 2011-02-15 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tiger Ann Parker wants nothing more than to get out of the rural town of Saitter, Louisiana--far away from her mentally disabled mother, her "slow" father who can't read an electric bill, and her classmates who taunt her. So when Aunt Dorie Kay asks Tiger to sp the summer with her in Baton Rouge, Tiger can't wait to go. But before she leaves, the sudden revelation of a dark family secret prompts Tiger to make a decision that will ultimately change her life. Set in the South in the late 1950s, this coming-of-age novel explores a twelve-year-old girl's struggle to accept her grandmother's death, her mentally deficient parents, and the changing world around her. It is a novel filled with beautiful language and unforgettable characters, and the importance of family and home. My Louisiana Sky is a 1998 Boston Globe - Horn Book Award Honor Book for Fiction.

Download or read book Piper Reed Clubhouse Queen written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR). This book was released on 2011-08-02 with total page 118 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Previously published as Piper Reed, the Great Gypsy. The Gypsy Club Creed We are the Gypsies of land and sea. We move from port to port. We make friends wherever we go. And everywhere we go, we let people know That we're the Gypsies of land and sea. Piper's dad—the Navy Chief—might be gone again, but Piper's got plenty to keep her busy at home: new neighbors, a spaceship beach house, a trip to New Orleans, and most important, the upcoming Gypsy Club pet show. Piper is determined to win, but teaching her dog Bruna tricks seems nearly impossible. Bruna is simply un-teachable! Or is she? Join Piper as she embarks on new and exciting adventures!

Download or read book Mister and Me written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2000-11-01 with total page 58 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jolene's family was just Momma and Grandpa until big, loud Leroy Redfield started taking Momma dancing. Jolene refuses to call him anything but "Mister." Without a name, he isn't a real person to her. But then Jolene learns that Mister wants to marry Momma. Is there anything Jolene can do to make him go away? "The warmth and love in the Johnson household envelops the novel... Jolene's willingness to face the uncertainties of her future may well give courage to readers confronting sea changes of their own."-Publishers Weekly Awards: ( New York Public Library "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing" ( A Texas Bluebonnet Master List Book

Download or read book Slow Dancing in the Kitchen written by Sam Gifford and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2009-07 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Slow Dancing in the Kitchen Peter Wallace is, to all appearances, a success. Handsome, intelligent, educated, and talented. He is the quintessential success story: vice president and genius-in-residence for the biggest ad agency in town. But in the shadow of this facade is a haunted house of insecurity. A detractor calls him "the quintessential cliché." Peter's marriage is dysfunctional for some reasons he doesn't comprehend and for others he knows well. His fragile self-esteem had always forced him to seek the affections of women. Now, with his marriage crumbling, what had been recreational becomes nearly a clinical necessity. Laura is a beautiful, Southern country girl; a fashion model. Her good looks and apparent attraction to Peter create a scenario in which Peter doesn't love her, but becomes addicted to her beauty and her sometimes-trashy ways. He views her as a bauble to be worn until he becomes bored. His wife Katherine is aware of the affair and has a college friend move him from the house in a violent but humorous scene. The friend, while somewhat foppish, is better-looking and stronger than Peter. The court stuns Peter by imposing huge alimony payments and child support. He marries Laura to fulfill his need to be worshiped, but the two are left with little. He faces the necessity of selling his prized possession, his boat. This seems superficial, but Peter measures his own worth by status and possessions. While he temporarily savors his freedom from Katherine, he mourns the loss of his two children. Myrna Jacobi, his attorney, counsels him to clear his mind and to find himself. She recounts her own breakup, telling Peter that she found herself dancing alone in the kitchen one evening and knew then that she had discovered the answer. Find out who you are, she counsels. Katherine is murdered. It is assumed that her new lover, an alcoholic, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, did it in a fit of anger. Lack of evidence results in his release, but he is known on the street as the perpetrator. The real murderer, Laura, has become an alcoholic, and the marriage is over, even though they live in the same house. She meets the photographer at an AA meeting, and they fall in love. She leaves Peter, who is, by this time, completely in love with Myrna Jacobi. But Myrna is unavailable for a surprising reason. Peter is recruited by a Fortune 500 - size private firm headed by Martin Mendel, an offensive, insulting, second-generation owner. The company is falsely seen as having Mafia ties. Peter realizes, later in his employment, that Mendel could easily sell his company for more than a billion dollars and be rid of the allegations. Peter recognizes one night that Myrna has mapped the course to his soul, and that Marty Mendel taught him character and strength on a level where Peter had never before traversed. Mendel chose to clear his family name over easy money. Peter settles into a life of satisfying work and relationship with his children. One evening, as he is cooking dinner and enjoying music and a glass of good wine by himself, the phone rings. Slow Dancing In The Kitchen is the story of spiritual metamorphosis. It is a modern-day Pilgrim's Progress. On another level, Slow Dancing In The Kitchen is the story of the relationships between fathers and sons and fathers and daughters and the ways in which these interactions affect life. Some characters are forever prisoners of early relationships, but Peter Wallace ultimately gathers the strength to escape.

Download or read book Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2017-03-28 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After the sudden death of her parents, Stevie, thirteen, is sent to live at a rundown motel, where she charms everyone except her estranged grandfather.

Download or read book Keeper of the Night written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2003-05 with total page 326 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description

Download or read book The Water Seeker written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Macmillan + ORM. This book was released on 2010-05-06 with total page 333 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Amos Kincaid is the son of a dowser – a person gifted in knowing how to "find" water deep in the ground. As a young person, Amos doesn't reveal his gift to others; he's not sure he wants the burden. But through his experiences growing up and crossing the Oregon Trail, Amos learns about life's harsh realities, especially the pain in losing loved ones. As he cares for those around him, Amos comes to accept his dowsing fate. This epic novel is a fascinating period piece about the westward expansion and one man's destiny as he searches for love and family.

Download or read book Piper Reed Navy Brat written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR). This book was released on 2011-03-29 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on her own childhood experience, Kimberly Willis Holt's Piper Reed, Navy Brat portrays the life of a Navy family with warmth and humor. It's not easy being the middle child, especially when your dad is a Navy Chief. Meet Piper Reed, a spunky nine-year-old who has moved more times than she can count on one hand. From Texas to Guam, wherever Piper goes, adventure follows, inspired by her active imagination, free-wheeling spirit, and a bit of sister magic. Unlike her older sister, Piper loves being part of a Navy family, and unlike her little sister, Piper is no prodigy genius. Piper is Piper—fearless and full of life.

Download or read book DANCING IN THE LIGHT written by Shirley Maclaine and published by . This book was released on 2010 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Forged by Fire written by Sharon M. Draper and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-04-05 with total page 166 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The flame of love burns bright in the second book of Sharon M. Draper’s award-winning Hazelwood High trilogy. When Gerald was a child he was fascinated by fire. But fire is dangerous and powerful, and tragedy strikes. His substance-addicted mother is taken from him. Then he loses the loving generosity of a favorite aunt, and a brutal stepfather with a flaming temper and an evil secret makes his life miserable. The one bright light in Gerald's life is his little half sister, Angel, whom he struggles to protect from her father, who is abusing her. Somehow Gerald manages to finds success as a member of the Hazelwood Tigers basketball team, and Angel develops her talents as a dancer, despite the trouble that still haunts them. And Gerald learns, painfully, that young friends can die and old enemies must be faced. In the end he must stand up to his stepfather alone in a blazing confrontation. In this second book of the Hazelwood High trilogy, Sharon M. Draper has woven characters and events from Tears of a Tiger in an unflinchingly realistic portrayal of poverty and child abuse. It is an inspiring story of a young man who rises above the tragic circumstances of his life by drawing on the love and strength of family and friends.

Download or read book Encyclopedia Brown and his Best Cases Ever written by Donald J. Sobol and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2013-01-24 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From The Case of the Stolen Diamonds to The Case of the Stolen Money, here are fifteen of Encyclopedia Brown's best mysteries, carefully selected from the entire series. Included is a never-before-published article written by Don Sobol about his reasons behind writing the Encyclopedia Brown series.

Download or read book Part of Me written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR). This book was released on 2014-12-23 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The lives of four generations of one Louisiana family, woven together by a master storyteller Tracing a family's roots is like taking a journey through the years. In the case of one Louisiana family, that journey can be charted by the books they read and loved. The journey begins in 1939 with Rose, who moves with her mother and siblings from rural Texas to live with their estranged grandfather in the Louisiana bayou. Rose connects with this flavorful community through her love of books and by driving a bookmobile. Two decades later, Merle Henry, Rose's son, is more passionate about trapping a mink than about reading, although there is a place in his heart for Old Yeller. In 1973, Merle Henry's daughter, Annabeth, feels torn between reading fairy tales and a crush on a real-life knight in shining armor. And in the present day, Annabeth's son, Kyle, finds himself in a bind: he hates reading, but the only summer job he can get is at the library. In her people-smart way, Kimberly Willis Holt introduces us to a Louisiana family: touching, lyrical, and always intriguing, their stories reveal the powerful connections between four generations. Part of Me is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Download or read book The Ambassador of Nowhere Texas written by Kimberly Willis Holt and published by Henry Holt and Company (BYR). This book was released on 2021-01-12 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Kimberly Willis Holt's The Ambassador of Nowhere, Texas is a stunning post-9/11 companion to the National Book Award-winner When Zachary Beaver Came to Town. Decades after the Vietnam War and Toby’s life-changing summer with Zachary Beaver, Toby’s daughter Rylee is at a crossroads—her best friend Twig has started pushing her away just as Joe, a new kid from New York, settles into their small town of Antler. Rylee befriends Joe and learns that Joe’s father was a first responder on 9/11. The two unlikely friends soon embark on a project to find Zachary Beaver and hopefully reconnect him with Rylee's father almost thirty years later. This beautiful middle grade novel is a tribute to friendships—old and new—and explores the challenges of rebuilding what may seem lost or destroyed. Christy Ottaviano Books

Download or read book Obi Gerbil on the Loose written by Michael Delaney and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2008-06-12 with total page 135 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Obi the Gerbil is home alone! Obi?s owner is on vacation, and the neighbor feeding the pets has forgotten all about the gerbil tucked away in her cage. Obi loves her cozy home, but without food and water she must escape to survive. So, taking on the courage of her namesake (Star Wars Jedi knight Obi-Wan), she breaks out and meets her fellow pets?cats up to no good, a maniacal tarantula, an insecure snake, a grumpy mouse, and a crotchety dog. Obi finds danger, but also makes new friends as she embarks on her great adventure. This hilarious novel about perseverance and pluck is enhanced with funny cartoon illustrations.