Kirjahaku

Hoping to leave behind the horrors of the Great War, a young Welshman travels to the California desert to try his hand at prospecting, only to discover that the riches of California are more than just its gold.

Christmas, it has been said, is many things to many people. In these seven stories the meaning of Christmas is as varied as the time and circumstances in which they take place. A young Quaker recalls Christmas as a time when he received the courage to shelter fugitives. A Dutch fisherman is driven to despair by his own compulsive gift giving. An Amish housewife seeks resolution for a life haunted by the image of a Christmas tree. Of course, Christmas is foremost a celebration of the birth of Christ, and a time for life made anew, which is why we delight in the redemption of Scrooge. But what of poor Jacob Marley whose sacrifice made possible Scrooge's salvation? Christmas is also a time we associate with miracles, and a miraculous gift from Santa Claus allows a boy to make peace with the senseless death of his parents. And lest it be forgotten that Christmas is a time for joy and playful celebration, there are Roy and Willis, two handymen bent on playing Christmas carols on a pipe organ fashioned out of a pickup truck. Lastly, in a children's story, a hermit finds Christmas to be the chance to help a mysterious stranger dressed in black. Seven stories, seven different Christmases, yet all united by this: Christmas is special to all.

While on his way to visit the healing waters of Tambo Puquio, the Capac Inca, emperor of Tahuantinsuyu, is forced to stop at the small village of Qomermoya. Perhaps this was the will of the gods, for there, Yana Mayu, an impetuous young woman, takes it upon herself to aid Topa Inca, the emperor's ailing son. This act of kindness triggers a chain of events that will not only lead Yana on a journey of discovery, but will alter the course of history. Learning that only the water at the end of the world can cure Topa, Yana becomes convinced that she has been chosen to find this healing water, for in a dream the gods have shown her a crystalline river flowing underground. But as Ipa, Yana's knowing aunt, says, "nothing in dreams is clear." Undeterred, Yana leaves her home and those she loves to travel lonely roads across ice-covered mountains and into the rainforest in search of the entrance to the underworld and the source of the water at the end of the world. The Water at the End of the World is a retelling of an Andean legend as it realistically might have happened given the religion, politics and customs that characterized the height of the Inca Empire. It is descriptive of the natural beauty and majesty of the region's diverse environments. It is a coming of age story certain to thrill both young adults and adults alike.

It's tough being the new kid in school, especially when you're the smallest and the smartest. The combination of all three is like a sign on your back saying, "Kick me " to every passing bully. No wonder Milton Mickelsen escapes into the stories he writes about Ramblin' Red. Ramblin' Red is a hard-riding, straight-shooting cowboy straight out of an old Western movie. Tall, strong, resourceful and confident, Ramblin' Red is everything Milton yearns to be. But when the school van crashes in a remote wilderness area, Milton cannot look to Ramblin' Red for help. If they hope to survive, it will be up to Milton, calling upon his own resources, to make his way across country in a snowstorm to get help.Ramblin' Red is a book for any for middle-grade reader who has ever experienced being the odd person out. A high adventure, it is told with insight, humor and fast-paced action.