Books with author Laura Joy Smith

Originally published in 2010.Who do you blame when your world comes crashing down?Watching her parents go through a divorce has turned Emma's life into a tailspin. She's angry at everyone around her. She's angry at her siblings because she's always stuck baby-sitting them, her parents for ruining her life, and herself for not measuring up to anyone's standards. Will she turn her torment over to God and put her trust in Him before it's too late?

This short story begins an adventure series inspired by Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe among other shipwreck tales. When a young sailor wakes to find his ship entering a ferocious storm, he has no idea that a series of events will soon lead him to the fabled Angel Island, where he will need to explore, survive and discover who he is and who he can become. Subject to readers' interest in this short snippet the rest of the series will hopefully follow!

It’s 1995, and 11-year-old Heidi Williams has just settled into her new routine as a junior high student when her house catches on fire, leaving her homeless along with her parents and adopted brother, Danny. After the fire, Heidi’s father finds them a temporary house to live in while theirs is being rebuilt. There she meets Dorothy and Stacey, two seventh grade girls who help her readjust to being away from her elderly neighbor and friend, Violet, and growing apart from Danny. Together, they take the bus to the mall, roam the neighborhood on Halloween, take on babysitting jobs, go to a school dance, and help Heidi pursue an older boy who might like her. By the time she moves back home, Heidi is a little wiser and more grown up. The fire becomes the best thing that could have ever happened to her.

A garden sprite comes across a garden gnome, and falls in love. She takes the gnome on a playful journey through the forest, across the hills, to the beach, and further still. All the while, she expresses how she loves him: like flowers love the sun, like forests love a seed, like balloons love the sky. These inventive similes play on concepts drawn from nature and are paired with quirky, whimsical art full of details to discover―like the troubling moment when the gnome becomes cracked, but is mended with some ingenuity and the help of cheerful forest friends.Moving progressively through the seasons, from spring to winter, the book is a sweet, bright bedtime story, paced to read aloud. I Love You Like... can help inspire readers to invent their own creative expressions of love as part of a nighttime ritual and will also be relatable to any child who adores a favorite toy.

Lacie's parents leave her in her uncle's care to go back to their exploring as soon as she's 18 and graduated from the girls' academy, but later he takes her on a jaunt on his ship, Fire Seeker, where his impatience grabs the attention of the Interstellar Guard, who've been keeping an eye on him, and he has to drop her off and make his escape. Fortunately, she wasn't left alone; she has Embers, who is a gift--a spark, so to speak--from her mother, Sparkles. And she goes back to school, the space academy, part of her mother's plan for her.After she graduates from the space academy, she's contacted by some of her mother's friends, who've been biding their time, and they take her to The Depot, where she meets aliens and AIs, and she and Embers find the star ship her mother reserved for her there This is a good thing because Embers has never stopped growing--and she's getting heavy! They name their ship Flame Bright, and that is just the beginning of her adventures with more aliens, AIs, princesses, diplomats, and villains. It's going to be an exciting ride!

Hello there! My name is Pink Kitty I am so happy to meet you! Let me ask you... Have you ever met a bird raised by a mouse who gardens and builds houses? Or how about a mouse who has a recording studio in a house built by her older brother? Bet you don’t know any famous rock star cats? Or how about a cat who is a famous photographer? And did you know that the cats in Kitty town don’t hunt for and eat birds or fish. Sound interesting? Well then come along and join me, Pink Kitty, as I introduce you to my family and friends who all live in the ecologically, friendly, and fun Kitty Town—where everyone loves, respects, and accepts everybody and every thing. So come on in and let’s go for a walk! Meow!