Books with author Laura Lea Smith

Jamie and her family have just moved into their new house on a horseshoe-shaped street surrounding a playground. There is a lot to get used to at first. Her brother, Luke, has nightmares. Her sister, Becky, acts like a baby, and all three of them miss their grandparents whose house they had lived in until now. While Jamie’s dad is at work and her mom works from home, Jamie is in charge of her brother and sister for the summer. At the playground, they are introduced to all of the neighborhood kids. Together, they teach each other their favorite games, make up new ones, go on many adventures, and end up having the best summer ever.

Whispers in the Wind is a young adult novel. Cassie Andrews is a high school senior math scholar who’s trying to get over an unhappy relationship with the varsity quarterback. She discovers his interest in her is only to the extent he can receive help from her to pass math and avoid academic expulsion from the football team. Her final humiliation occurs when he invites another girl to the football banquet.She spends a summer visiting her aunt and uncle at Pelican’s Cove, an island in the Gulf of Mexico. There she plans to pursue an interest in art at her aunt’s Gallery and forget about guys. While on the island she meets Jason Hunter, who works at her uncle’s marina. She decides he could be a safe sailing instructor and companion for the summer with no romantic involvement.After Cassie finds that Jason is taking a summer school calculus course to prepare for the Air Force Academy, she becomes suspicious of his motive for their friendship. Does he, too, only need her to be his math tutor? She vows that this relationship will not echo her previous experience. Jason’s former girlfriend intrudes, and a hurricane provides suspense as the developing romance evolves. Jason and Cassie’s uncle are caught in the storm and receive injuries while sailing her uncle’s sailboat to safe harbor.Cassie discovers that Jason received the Senior Award of Excellence in Mathematics in high school. Final resolution of the misunderstanding occurs in the hospital after the sailing accident when she volunteers to help him catch up on the math he’s missed, and they finally admit their true feelings to each other. He indicates that he had misjudged her, not realizing his “sailor and artist was a math expert, too.” She blushed, squeezed his hand, and thought, ‘Misjudged…if he only knew’.

How do you move on when It's Over? When four college roommates lose pieces of their lives, the pain isolates and the tension rises. Emotions are hard to hide and even harder to tackle. How can the girls move forward, when there is so much pain in letting go? Together, Claire, Kat, Palmer, and Hannah learn to lean on God and each other, and through it all they learn loss is a part of life. "In It's Over, Laura L. Smith confirms the truth we've been told that we are never alone in the midst of heartache and struggle. In fact, she takes us to a place where we not only get to see, but feel deeply the truth of the fact that every single one of us has a story. Everyone single one of us has experienced pain. But more importantly, that every single one of us has great hope. Smith's writing strikes a deep chord in my heart. It makes sense. It's real--and in my opinion, that transparency makes all the difference." ~Holly Starr, Christian recording artist. "Laura L. Smith speaks for the broken. With a voice that's warm and true, Laura gives words to those rendered speechless by issues that high school and college girls should never have to deal with--but so many of them do. In writing that's raw, relevant, and real, Smith goes where few authors dare to go: straight into the heart of today's young woman." ~Amy Parker, bestselling author "YA author, Laura l. Smith, crafts another story that will appeal to all girls, because no one is untouched by heartache in all its forms. The grace Smith extends the four girls in It's Over will touch readers in deep ways, as they follow these characters through some of the worst parts of life. Best of all, they'll cheer when the girls lean on one another and find ways to be thankful in everything. This is a fantastic read, one that will resonate with teens, college girls, and their mothers." ~Laura Kurk, author of Glass Girl and Perfect Glass

It’s 1995, and 11-year-old Heidi Williams is just getting used to junior high school when tragedy strikes. One night, her house catches on fire, and she and her parents and adopted brother, Danny, are forced to move into an old rundown house while their house is reconstructed. Heidi is separated from her only friends: her elderly neighbor, Violet and her niece Jenny. She has no clothes or possessions, and everyone at school stares at her like she’s some kind of a freak. While in her new neighborhood, though, Heidi meets Dorothy, the girl next door who befriends her and takes Heidi on new adventures while at her temporary house. With Dorothy’s friend Stacey sometimes along for the ride, they go trick-or-treating, take bus trips to the mall, babysit, celebrate Stacey’s birthday, attend a school dance, and try to find out if a popular eighth grade boy may have a crush on Heidi. What starts as a tragedy turns out to be one of the best things that could ever happen to her.

Emma is angry. She’s angry at her siblings, who she always has to baby sit; her parents, who are divorcing and ruining her life in the process; and herself for not measuring up to anyone’s standards.With her simmering feelings ready to spill over at any time, Emma's self-worth plummets. Her faith in God is tested in the face of overwhelming hurt that threatens to send her over the edge. Can she turn back in time?Online study guide companion available.

Eight-year old Penelope and her best friend, Mandy -- a stuffed elephant, search for their roots, but find much more in Cantaloupe Trees. Guided by a fledgling fairy named Impy, they tour the magical Parade of Trees questing for the places where they were grown. Their adventure takes Penelope and Mandy to a myriad of fantastical trees hosted by amazing fairies. They experience marvels such as flying and tasting enchanted food, but are also faced with the darkness of deceit and the challenges of friendship. Along this flying road trip, Mandy finds things much more troubling to an elephant than mice, and Penelope makes a decision which will alter both her and Mandy’s fate forever.

Lindsey feels alone, like no one truly understands her. That is, until she meets Noah, who possesses a calm self-confidence that Lindsey craves. But what price will she pay to escape to the comfort of Noah’s soft words and strong arms?This novel uses the power of story to challenge teens to discover the relevance of faith. Young adults will identify with Lindsey’s feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. Promoting a personal trust in God, this story awakens the imagination through personal discovery, dynamic characters, and unexpected plot twists.

Lindsey feels alone, like no one truly understands her. That is, until she meets Noah, who possesses a calm self-confidence that Lindsey craves. But what price will she pay to escape to the comfort of Noah’s soft words and strong arms?This novel uses the power of story to challenge teens to discover the relevance of faith. Young adults will identify with Lindsey’s feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. Promoting a personal trust in God, this story awakens the imagination through personal discovery, dynamic characters, and unexpected plot twists.

Emma is angry. She’s angry at her siblings, who she always has to baby sit; her parents, who are divorcing and ruining her life in the process; and herself for not measuring up to anyone’s standards.With her simmering feelings ready to spill over at any time, Emma's self-worth plummets. Her faith in God is tested in the face of overwhelming hurt that threatens to send her over the edge. Can she turn back in time?Online study guide companion available.