Books in Fiction Ser. series

1949 A story about a boy who made a solemn vow and became a man keeping it.Saint Paul/Minneapolis - Those unforgettable days after World War II when people turned back to their personal lives with optimism, a time of Fibber McGee and Molly, newsreels, milkmen, boogie-woogie, The Best Years of Our Lives and chrome grilled automobiles.Against this evocative backdrop, Staley West composes this heartrending song, bittersweet lyrics that will lift your spirit, touch your heart and leave you humming… wishing it wouldn’t end. In one fateful moment, Donny Cunningham comes face to face with unthinkable horror, when his live caves in on him. Changed forever. The task of raising his brothers and sister falls to him when his mother dies. A senior at St. Paul Central, he does whatever it takes to keep his family together, while his father leads them ever closer to disaster. Surrounded aby his zany and lionhearted siblings, his fun-loving friends, and hoping to find love and understanding from his high school sweetheart, Donny is caught between the law – which has a claim on his young brother – and the gangsters – who have a claim on his father. This humor and daring and grit, he fights the dragon of regret with an inner courage and strength that belies his physical stature.

Set in the 1870s, young Charlotte and her family move north after the Great Chicago Fire to discover the rich heritage and natural wonders of Isle Royale, a remote island in Lake Superior which is now a U.S. National Park. In the Midwestern tradition of the "Little House" books, this heartwarming tale of growing up in a pioneer family on the edge of the wilderness will delight readers of all ages. "An excellent job of capturing the time and place . . . . Charlotte is a thoughtful and engaging character" (School Library Journal). Based on the diaries of early settlers. For ages 8-12 and older.

In this companion to Gathering: A Northwoods Counting Book Betsy Bowen again captures the vibrant magic in each northwoods day through effortless prose and colorful woodcuts. While the canoe waits beneath the heavy snow and the river freezes over, bears turn in for long winter naps and people spend time reading by the fire or bundled up in layers. But when spring comes, it’s time for kayaking, fishing, and listening to the quiet pond sounds of the new season. All of this and more is celebrated in Bowen’s warm and unusual alphabet book that introduces children to the cyclical rhythms of life in our country’s northern states.