She was found abandoned in the lavatory of a cafeteria in Bogota, Colombia. The police who picked her up named her Maria Consuelo. From a stack of would-be parents, Colombias welfare agency chose Valerie Kreutzers application, and the toddler quickly bonded with her new mom in Washington, DC. At school Maria struggled with severe learning disabilities despite a superior I.Q., but also blossomed into an award-winning young artist. Her impulsive behavior led to fits and false starts during adolescence, until she found happiness at twenty-one with David and his extended family. Their love and lives ended in the curve of a rural road in Florida. A Girl Named Maria chronicles an adopted daughters struggle with identity and her yearning for a birth family that may have included a twin brother. Marias legacy lives on in this poignant personal story of one mothers unconditional love for her adopted daughter. I loved this book! This story, although carrying the deep sorrow of a daughters death, will give parents of transnational adoptions a guideline for their own experience. This book is a much needed addition to the adoption literature. Nancy Verrier, The Primal Wound; Coming Home to Self www.nancyverrier.com

What is the response when a child points out that a disabled child or adult looks 'different'? Shriver tells the story of Kate, who finds that making friends with a mentally retarded boy helps her learn that the two of them have a lot in common.

This series of contemporary plays includes structured GCSE assignments for use by individuals or groups. These include questions which involve close reading, writing and discussion. This play places the "Romeo and Juliet" story in a New York gang-warfare context.

Third grader Mara Isabel, born in Puerto Rico and now living in the U.S., wants badly to fit in at school--and the teacher's writing assignment "My Greatest Wish" gives her that opportunity.

Born in 1925, Maria Tallchief spent part of her childhood on an Osage reservation in Oklahoma. With the support of her family and world-renowned choreographer George Balanchine, she rose to the top of her art form to become America's first prima ballerina. Black-and-white illustrations provide visual sidebars to the history of ballet while taking readers through the life of this amazing dancer.

A Journey to the Unknown of a Young Girl Named Kahache is sensational. It will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you live again.