Cathie Pelletier

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem "Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie" vividly tells the story of an Acadian girl as she searches for her lost love Gabriel amid the expulsion of the Acadians from maritime Canada and Maine.Now, acclaimed novelist Cathie Pelletier, descended from Acadians herself, adapts the story and retells it in novel form for middle readers. The prose retelling makes the story more accessible, and teachable, for younger readers. At a time when immigration and migration are at the forefront of news cycles, the historic displacement of the Acadians deserves a deeper look.

Are There Aliens in Allagash?Roberta is convinced she and her best friend Marilee can win the State Science Fair if only they can find an amazing project to showcase. And they've got the whole summer to work on it. But in order to win they'll need to defeat their chief competitor, "The Four Hs of the Apocalypse": Henry Horton Harris Helmsby.When mysterious lights begin to appear over her hometown, Roberta has a brilliant idea: finding aliens in Allagash and proving they exist would win her first place for sure. Four Hs could never top that...or could he?Over the next few months Roberta and her best friend, Marilee, are spied on by Johnny, Roberta's older brother, and his best friend Billy. Before the summer ends, the friends attempt to extract revenge, question whether they were kidnapped by a UFO, and try to beat Four Hs at the State Science Fair. Each girl experiences family heartbreak, but through it all their friendship remains rock solid.

A vivid and gripping story of an epic Maine snowstorm that tested the very limits of human endurance. A National BestsellerFor many, the past few years have been defined by climate disaster. Stories about once-in-a-lifetime hurricanes, floods, fires, droughts and even snowstorms are now commonplace. But dramatic weather events are not new and Northeaster, Cathie Pelletier’s breathtaking account of the 1952 snowstorm that blanketed New England, offers a valuable reminder about nature’s capacity for destruction as well as insight into the human instinct for preservation. Northeaster weaves together a rich cast of characters whose lives were uprooted and endangeredby the storm. Housewives and lobstermen, loggers and soldiers were all trapped as snow piled in drifts twenty feet high. The storm smothered hundreds of travelers in their cars, covered entire towns, and broke ships in half. In the midst of the blizzard’s chaos, there were remarkable acts of heroism and courageous generosities. Doctors braved the storm to help deliver babies. Ordinary people kept their wits while buried in their cars, and others made their way out of forests to find kind-hearted strangers willing to take them in. It’s likely that none of us know how we would handle a confrontation with a blizzard or other natural disaster. But Northeaster shows that we have it inside to fight for survival in some of the harshest conditions that nature has to offer.

When Charlie Baker’s parents announce that they’re taking him and his sister—the drama queen Clarissa—to a cabin in Maine for two weeks, Charlie thinks they’re kidding. “But we’re city kids,” Clarrisa protests. “I’m allergic to trees!” Then Mrs. Baker adds something else. “There’s no electricity,” she tells them. “And you leave your cell phones and ipads home.” They weren’t kidding. “It’s on a lake,” says his father, as if having water would make up for it. When the Bakers arrive at Lake Fortune, in rural Maine, they are welcomed by a rickety cabin with an outhouse, a thunder and lightning storm, and a creature in the attic that masquerades as a ghost. “Is this a scientific experiment?” asks Clarissa. “Is the government paying us?”But then true adventure begins when they discover a clue left in a Mason jar on a tiny island in the lake. That clue—written by The Mystery Traveler—leads them to an old apple tree, and a second clue. Soon, they are on the path of an exciting treasure hunt, one that brings Charlie and the bossy Clarrisa together for the first time. Not only do they bond as brother and big sister—especially after a harrowing experience in which Charlie rescues Clarissa—they have the summer of their lives. When The Mystery Traveler’s identity is finally discovered, no one is more shocked than Charlie. They are city kids who can now find the Big Dipper and Jupiter in the sky, who know that strange sound is made by loons, and what “fetch” a pail of water means. They wish the two weeks were two months. But they also love the city. They return to Boston knowing that the cabin and more adventures will be there for every vacation.

A vivid and gripping story of an epic Maine snowstorm that tested the very limits of human endurance. For many, the past few years have been defined by climate disaster. Stories about once-in-a-lifetime hurricanes, floods, fires, droughts and even snowstorms are now commonplace. But dramatic weather events are not new and Northeaster, Cathie Pelletier’s breathtaking account of the 1952 snowstorm that blanketed New England, offers a valuable reminder about nature’s capacity for destruction as well as insight into the human instinct for preservation. Northeaster weaves together a rich cast of characters whose lives were uprooted and endangered by the storm. Housewives and lobstermen, loggers and soldiers were all trapped as snow piled in drifts twenty feet high. The storm smothered hundreds of travelers in their cars, covered entire towns, and broke ships in half. In the midst of the blizzard’s chaos, there were remarkable acts of heroism and courageous generosities. Doctors braved the storm to help deliver babies. Ordinary people kept their wits while buried in their cars, and others made their way out of forests to find kind-hearted strangers willing to take them in. It’s likely that none of us know how we would handle a confrontation with a blizzard or other natural disaster. But Northeaster shows that we have it inside to fight for survival in some of the harshest conditions that nature has to offer.

In 1916, a nearly unknown German-born theoretical physicist named Albert Einstein had developed his theory of relativity, but hadn't yet been able to prove it. The only way to do that was through the clear view and measurement of a solar eclipse. In May of 1919, one of the longest total solar eclipses of the 20th century was visible for almost seven minutes in the Southern Hemisphere. And so, two teams of intrepid astronomers set out on a treacherous journey-one to a remote town in Brazil, the other to the small African island of Principe. Their task was to answer the question: during the eclipse, would the stars' light waves follow Newton's law of gravitation, or Einstein's new theory of relativity?Proving Einstein Right is an epic chronicle of this decade-long mission. Hindered by everything from cloudy weather to world war, and travelling halfway around the globe, four men observed a solar eclipse that would catapult Albert Einstein to fame, set the framework for the Big Bang theory, and forever change the way we look at the universe.

Doug Kershaw's musical career as a fiddler, songwriter, and singer has spanned over seventy years. Born on a houseboat tied to a cypress tree in the swamps of Southwest Louisiana, his family followed the fishing up and down the Mermantau River. Alligators and snakes lurked beneath the waters. Alcoholism and violence lurked above. The fais do-dos, those popular houseboat dances, were the only escape from a harsh way of life. Until the Kershaws were forced to move into town following a family tragedy, Kershaw spoke only Cajun-French. He got his first pair of shoes when he was eight years old, the same year he began supporting his mother by playing fiddle and shining shoes. Throughout his career, he has mastered twenty-eight instruments. Because of his signature style of music-making and entertaining, Kershaw is considered by many to be a consummate performer and storyteller. His is a classic American story of how one young man rose from poverty in the swamps to the stage at Carnegie Hall. Despite the pitfalls known to many entertainers--alcohol and cocaine rehab, divorces, scandal, bankruptcy, music business woes, even cancer--Doug Kershaw's life was filled with exciting and comic adventures. The proof is in the amazing people he met along the way: Roger Miller, Johnny Cash, Mary Tyler Moore, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Jean Shepherd, Chet Atkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Wyman, and many more. Kershaw recalls the bad and the good with the same humor that helped him survive it all. While many accolades have since come his way, his greatest pride was hearing his autobiographical song, ""Louisiana Man,"" broadcast back from space before Apollo 12 landed on the moon.

The acclaimed author of A Marriage Made At Woodstockdelivers a funny, poignant novel about the complicated love between a mother and her son. When her wayward boy Sonny takes two women and a poodle hostage in his ex-wife's trailer, Mattie finds herself at the center of a drama that has the whole nation glued to their TV's.