Books with author Ruthie Thomas

Julia and Nathan have no friends to speak of. They're misfits of Mrs Henrey's class - awlays the last to be picekd for the team, and always without a partner. Then they discover a stash of money in a deserted house and suddenly, instant popularity seems just around the corner. But so is trouble, in the shape of the adults who start asking difficult questions. There is only one thing the pair can do now, and that is to run away!

Listen up, grandparents, yes, and great-grands, too. Call Me Seamus is not just a teen age novel. It is a true-to-life story based on the vivid memories of it’s 89-year-old author. Buy it for yourself to enjoy, then give it to your grandchildren who want you to tell them what life was like when you were young. It will be easier than dredging up memories of the Depression, WWII and days with little money.This is the third book in the series starting with The Rawleigh Man Told Me and The Red Headed Girl. It picks up the life of Seamus and his twin sister in the 1940s in Marshall, Illinois. It is there the twins meet their birth father who tells them the true facts about the divorce that has tormented Seamus’ life. Now, he and Shannon must come to an understanding of why they were left in a New York orphanage. While the author doesn’t gloss over the hard facts about Midwestern life in the 40s, it is the tender story of twins who came to Illinois on the orphan train, were separated at the age of two, and grew up in different economic settings. Now 15, the twins have different last names, but the same birth parents. For the first time they share a single home when Livy, Seamus’ adoptive sister, marries the judge, Shannon’s widowed father.If you’ve ever worn a feed shirt or dress, you will be amused as, Mary Ruth, describes the reactions of her sorority sisters when they hear the story of how she came to be wearing a designer “knock off” outfit made from feed sacks.This was the age of the Roosevelt’s in the White House, and Seamus gets to meet the First Lady when she comes to Charleston, Illinois, on a fact-finding trip for the President. It is the very college where the author graduated in 1949, Yes, a few years later than Mrs. Roosevelt’s actual visit, but it’s history connected to fiction in a real setting.Seamus, a talented singer and dancer, also meets and gets acquainted with Smiley Burnette who started his entertainment career at a local Illinois radio station, WDZ. It was a station the author listened to in her youth and is still functioning today. Smiley is a real-life movie star and costar with Gene Autry who influences Seamus in his love of music and is important (instrumental) in the happy ending of the book.This book is a pleasant trip back into difficult historical times and will give you faith that our country is great because of the salt of the earth people who developed it.527 words About the author…The author is a retired teacher who grew up on a farm near Toledo, Illinois. She graduated from Eastern Illinois University in 1949 and later received a mater’s degree from Northern Arizona University. She lives in Phoenix with her cats Seamus and Katie. This is her fifth book.

This book is about a collection of birds found in the Dandenong Ranges. It is not complete but covers most birds seen in the area.We are, indeed, very blessed to have so many different birds in our region. The planting of native trees, bushes and plants help to encourage these birds into our gardens and the surrounding areas.I find it a real pleasure to photograph the birds I see on a daily basis and love to share these images with my family and friends. Now, through this book, I get to share them with a wider audience.

Mum knew she shouldn't have left the children alone. That was why she was hurrying home, running to catch the evening train. She was so worried about Nicky and Roy that she didn't hear the thief come up behind her; she didn't look carefully when she dashed across the road . . . Back at home Nicky is findingit harder and harder to reassure her younger brother Roy. Soon the children are running out of money and the neighbours are getting suspicious. But whatever happens, Nicky is certain of one thing - she will NEVER tell.

A novel for 11 to 14 year olds (also suitable for adults) A the start of the church's annual convention, schoolgirl Hester Henry, wayward daughter of the Pastor, receives an unexpected Word from the Lord for someone she doesn't even know. The opposition and trouble she receives, from people inside and outside the church, for delivering the Word, tests her newly revived faith to its limits as she faces the weaknesses and fears of humanity and the reality of Evil.

There's been a spate of break-ins lately in the area and everyone in Kate's class is saying that the burglar is Desmond Locke's dad because he's just come out of prison. Everyone, that is, except Kate. She's sure that Mr Locke is innocent and turns to her Secret Seven books for inspiration - they always find the real thief. Kate and Desmond become detectives to find out the truth and prove Desmond's dad is innocent. But the truth isn't always what you would like it to be and Kate is horrified when she discovers who really is... GUILTY.

Julia and Nathan have no friends to speak of. They're misfits of Mrs Henrey's class - awlays the last to be picekd for the team, and always without a partner. Then they discover a stash of money in a deserted house and suddenly, instant popularity seems just around the corner. But so is trouble, in the shape of the adults who start asking difficult questions. There is only one thing the pair can do now, and that is to run away!