It's the 1920s, and Bo was headed for an Alaska orphanage when she won the hearts of two tough gold miners who set out to raise her, enthusiastically helped by all the kind people of the nearby Eskimo village. Bo learns Eskimo along with English, helps in the cookshack, learns to polka, and rides along with Big Annie and her dog team. There's always some kind of excitement: Bo sees her first airplane, has a run-in with a bear, and meets a mysterious lost little boy. Bo at Ballard Creek by Kirkpatrick Hill is an unforgettable story of a little girl growing up in the exhilarating time after the big Alaska gold rushes.

Ever since five-year-old Bo can remember, she and her papas have lived in the little Alaskan mining town of Ballard Creek. Now the family must move upriver to Iditarod Creek for work at a new mine, and Bo is losing the only home she's ever known. Initially homesick, she soon realizes that there is warmth and friendship to be found everywhere . . . and what's more, her new town may hold an unexpected addition to her already unconventional family. As with Bo at Ballard Creek, this stand-alone sequel is a story about love, inclusion, and day-to-day living in the rugged Alaskan bush of the late 1920s. Full of fascinating details, it is an unforgettable story.

A Smithsonian Notable Book for Children A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year “Genius.” —The New York Times Book Review A beautiful repackage marking the twentieth anniversary of the beloved, award-winning novel that celebrates teachers and learning. Ten-year-old Frederika (Fred for short) doesn’t have much faith that the new teacher in town will last very long. After all, they never do. Most teachers who come to their one-room schoolhouse in remote Alaska leave at the first smell of fish, claiming that life there is just too hard. But Miss Agnes is different: she doesn’t get frustrated with her students, and finds new ways to teach them to read and write. She even takes a special interest in Fred’s sister, Bokko, who has never come to school before because she is deaf. For the first time, Fred, Bokko, and their classmates begin to enjoy their lessons—but will Miss Agnes be like all the rest and leave as quickly as she came?

In the “compelling” (Kirkus Reviews) sequel to Toughboy and Sister, the two young kids struggle as they learn to survive at a winter trapping camp during the harsh Alaskan winter. Recently orphaned, eleven-year-old Toughboy and his younger sister have been living with Natasha, an eldery, cantankerous Athabascan Indian. In the late fall, Natasha flies with them to a camp where the children learn to trap and live during the Alaskan winter. But when an old miner is seriously injured and Natasha has to leave to get help, Toughboy and Sister are pushed to their limits as they learn to survive for themselves while caring for the injured miner.

They’ve never faced danger before. Now they’re alone—and they have no choice. Every summer, Toughboy and his younger sister stay at their isolated family fish camp on the Yukon River. There, away from their Alaskan village, they help their parents catch and smoke salmon. But that was before their mother died and everything changed. This year, their father brings them back to the camp, but before he can set things up, he vanishes. No one knows that Toughboy and Sister have been left alone in the wilderness to fend for themselves. Days and then weeks pass. Their food runs out, and their radio stops working. What are they going to do now? “This quiet, simply told story speaks in a distinctive voice about stoic courage, dignity, and survival.”—The Horn Review “Sure to satisfy survival-story fans.”—Kirkus Reviews

When her older brother and his friends won't let her play on their baseball team, Emma comes up with a plan to convince them to change their minds.

Mornings are a madcap time for many of us. We wake up in a haze—often after hitting snooze a few times. Then we rush around to get ready and out the door so we can officially start the day. Before we know it, hours have slipped by without us accomplishing anything beyond downing a cup of coffee, dashing off a few emails, and dishing with our coworkers around the water cooler. By the time the workday wraps up, we’re so exhausted and defeated that any motivation to accomplish something in the evening has vanished. But according to time management expert Laura Vanderkam, mornings hold the key to taking control of our schedules. If we use them wisely, we can build habits that will allow us to lead happier, more productive lives. Drawing on real-life anecdotes and scientific research that shows why the early hours of the day are so important, Vanderkam reveals how successful people use mornings to help them accomplish things that are often impossible to take care of later in the day. While many of us are still in bed, these folks are scoring daily victories to improve their health, careers, and personal lives without sacrificing their sanity. For instance, former PepsiCo chairman and CEO Steve Reinemund would rise at 5:00 a.m., run four miles, pray, and eat breakfast with his family before heading to work to run a Fortune 500 company. What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast is a fun, practical guide that will inspire you to rethink your morning routine and jump-start your life before the day has even begun.