Books with author Joyce C. Ragland

His dad threw rocks, spiteful words, and a pitchfork at him. His mother told him he should have been stillborn. John A. Garrison vowed he would never be poor again. Being poor left you at the mercy of mean people. He graduated from eighth grade then went off to make his way in the world. The dirt poor child never made the same mistake twice. Resilience, a strong work ethic, and help from a few good people, gave John boosts at critical times. He grew up to become a millionaire. Now, with hopes it will inspire others to overcome a difficult childhood, he shares his story.

Sixteen-year-old Lorena is a science nerd at a time when girls don't do science. It's 1962 and the message from President Kennedy's Committee on the Status of Women isn't well received in her conservative community. Lorena plays the roles expected of a good girl. She's Lorena to her teachers, Lor to her friends, and Reenie to her Dad. She can't make her parents understand why she doesn't want the traditional role of teacher, nurse, or secretary like her older two sisters do. Her cousin Ronnie understands her dreams, but her best friend Carly is so confident of Lor's abilities in science, band, school, and life that she doesn't really listen to her worries. Then Lorena's home burns and Carly gets sent to Oklahoma to help an elderly aunt. Carly has an emergency appendectomy - except community gossip says something else, something too awful to name. Lor deals with so many crises she's about to give up on her dream when help comes from a totally unexpected source. Never in her wildest imagination would she have predicted the end of the crazy, rad summer of 1962.

His dad threw rocks, spiteful words, and a pitchfork at him. His mother told him he should have been stillborn. John A. Garrison vowed he would never be poor again. Being poor left you at the mercy of mean people. He graduated from eighth grade then went off to make his way in the world. The dirt poor child never made the same mistake twice. Resilience, a strong work ethic, and help from a few good people, gave John boosts at critical times. He grew up to become a millionaire. Now, with hopes it will inspire others to overcome a difficult childhood, he shares his story.

Sixteen-year-old Lorena is a science nerd at a time when girls don’t do science. It’s 1962 and the message from President Kennedy’s Committee on the Status of Women isn’t well received in her conservative community. Lorena plays the roles expected of a good girl. She’s Lorena to her teachers, Lor to her friends, and Reenie to her Dad. She can’t make her parents understand why she doesn’t want the traditional role of teacher, nurse, or secretary like her older two sisters do. Her cousin Ronnie understands her dreams, but her best friend Carly is so confident of Lor’s abilities in science, band, school, and life that she doesn’t really listen to Lor’s worries. Then Lorena’s home burns and Carly gets sent to Oklahoma to help an elderly aunt. Carly has an emergency appendectomy - except community gossip says something else, something too awful to name. Lor deals with so many crises she’s about to give up on her dream when help comes from a totally unexpected source. Never in her wildest imagination would she have predicted the end of the crazy, rad summer of 1962.

Sixteen-year-old Lorena is a science nerd at a time when girls don’t do science. It’s 1962 and the message from President Kennedy’s Committee on the Status of Women isn’t well received in her conservative community. Lorena plays the roles expected of a good girl. She’s Lorena to her teachers, Lor to her friends, and Reenie to her Dad. She can’t make her parents understand why she doesn’t want the traditional role of teacher, nurse, or secretary like her older two sisters do. Her cousin Ronnie understands her dreams, but her best friend Carly is so confident of Lor’s abilities in science, band, school, and life that she doesn’t really listen to Lor’s worries. Then Lorena’s home burns and Carly gets sent to Oklahoma to help an elderly aunt. Carly has an emergency appendectomy - except community gossip says something else, something too awful to name. Lor deals with so many crises she’s about to give up on her dream when help comes from a totally unexpected source. Never in her wildest imagination would she have predicted the end of the crazy, rad summer of 1962.

In this charming English-Spanish side-by-side book, Gramma Ella asks her granddaughter to help name her new puppy. Gramma thinks she hears Cupcake and happily names the pup. Rather tahan disagree, the granddaughter accepts the name. The story unfolds in English on each left hand page and in Spanish on each right-hand page. Photographs of the real life people in this sweet story illustrate the book. Excellent read out loud story. Great story for anyone wanting to become more fluent in either English or Spanish.