Books with author W.M. HIGGINS

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. When Leyla draws, she's in another world, not in this war-ravaged country. Her school has been destroyed. There are occupying forces in her village. Americans. Each trip to the water pump must be taken with care. She won't even look at the soldiers. But then she sees a woman, a soldier. And she does something unexpected, then courageous.

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Logan's grandparents own a store in the middle of nowhere. He's devoted to them, even to the point of giving up his own dreams. Until one hitchhiker changes it all. Brooke. She's young. Too young to be alone. As Logan watches, she shoplifts. After chasing her down, he realizes hitchhiking is the least of Brooke's issues. Not knowing why, Logan is drawn to her. He insists on driving the young teen to her grandmother's in Oklahoma. What begins as a road trip ends with life-altering realizations. About family. Obligations. Forgiveness. From the Great Plains to the borderlands to the Mississippi Delta, rural America is struggling. The population is shrinking. And the economy is shifting away from agriculture. Without a safety net, rural families struggle with depression, drug abuse, alcoholism, and other problems. Gravel Road Rural addresses the contemporary issues affecting rural America in an unflinching way.

Sammy Perez has to make it to the big leagues. After his teammate's career-ending injury, the Roadrunners decided to play in a wood bat tournament to protect their pitchers. And while Sammy used to be a hotheaded, hard-hitting, home-run machine, he's now stuck in the slump of his life. Sammy thinks the wood bats are causing the problem, but his dad suggests that maybe he's not strong enough. Is Sammy willing to break the law and sacrifice his health to get an edge by taking performance-enhancing drugs? Can Sammy break out of his slump in time to get noticed by major-league scouts?

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Koji's world is like any boy's. He loves sports. Goes to school. Studies hard. Dreams big. But childhood ends quickly. Rebel forces enter his village. They ransack the school. Their teacher is beaten. Maybe even killed. The boys line up, guns to their backs. Koji's group goes one way. His best friend's another. What's happened to his family? They are all dead, says a rebel. And you will be too if you don't do what we say. They march for hours. Days. One boy drinks too much water. He is hit again and again. Then murdered. The boys watch and learn. That will not be their fate. It's kill or be killed. So they kill.

Between finishing late school projects and looking after her brothers and sister, Faith Patel barely has time to play soccer. And when she's at practice, surrounded by girls who can afford to play in club leagues, she doesn't even feel like part of the team. So when Coach Berg starts to give Faith extra attention, she feels . . . really special. It might be crazy, but suddenly Faith has a crush on her coach. Can she keep her head in the game? The situation gets worse after Faith's frenemy Caitlyn decides that Faith's getting special treatment. Will Caitlyn tell the rest of the team―and make Faith into a total outcast?

FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Themes: divorce, stepmothers, social skills, expectations, physical limitations It's the school holiday break, and Iggy is going to Las Vegas to spend time with her dad and stepmom Tiffany. How exciting! Her dad must be planning something big. The Strip. Amusement parks. Thrilling roller coaster rides. But that's not what happens. Iggy is stuck at home in suburbia with Tiffany while her dad works. Then she meets Lucas. His mom is a showgirl, and his dad is an Elvis impersonator. Their house is loud. Colorful. One night Iggy sneaks out and goes with Lucas on an adventure. Her seemingly meek stepmother boldly rescues them when the kids' plan goes awry.

The ultimate insider's guide to extreme action sports from SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FOR KIDS. Each chapter is devoted to a different sport and includes stunts, stats, stars, and legends.Action sports are more popular than ever now. Kids of all ages can't get enough of them, especially the X Games. Sports fans have been paying increasing attention to these events, and extreme sports in general, over the past few years. Now the interest in them has exploded. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED FOR KIDS: ACTION SPORTS is the perfect book to satisfy these hungry fans, and a great companion to the popular YEAR IN SPORTS series.It contains tons of exhilarating action photos and focuses on thrilling sports like BMX, skateboarding, snowboarding, motocross, in-line skating, surfing, and more.