Increasingly alienated from his widowed father, Vernon joins his friends in ridiculing the neighborhood outcasts'Maxine, an alcoholic prone to outrageous behavior, and Ronald, her retarded son. But when a social service agency tries to put Ronald into a special home, Vernon fights against the move. 1994 Newbery Honor Book Notable Children's Books of 1994 (ALA) 1994 Best Books for Young Adults (ALA) 1994 Young Adult Editors' Choices (BL) 1994 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library) Young Adult Choices for 1995 (IRA)

The seventh novel in the popular Inspector Bliss series is another action-packed mystery filled with nail-biting adventures involving religious sects, criminal conspiracies, and the world trade in cocoa. When an RCMP officer is murdered in Vancouver, suspicion falls upon Janet Thurgood, a woman in her sixties who appears to everyone, apart from Trina Button, to be completely mad. Trina is quick to embroil Daphne Lovelace in her efforts to discover the truth about Janet. David Bliss, meanwhile, tries to stay out of the way in the south of France, where he encounters problems of his own when, to his utter amazement, he rediscovers his one true love. Can he finally pull the trigger and make a commitment?

Crazy Lady: Achievement Against the Odds is an autobiographical account of Dr. Myrtle Boykin Sampson's amazing achievements in the field of clinical psychology--three master's degrees and two doctorate degrees, plus a significant amount of post-doctoral study. All of this was achieved as she fought her own mental health battles. From an early age, she struggled with identity issues, being the younger of a pair of twins. As an academically-gifted African-American woman, she strived to prove herself in a time of white male-dominated educational and professional environs. She faced the disappointment of infertility, followed by the joy of adoption, only to learn this beautiful child that she loved so much was autistic. These stressors led her to a drinking problem, "a nervous breakdown," and later mental illness due to a chemical imbalance. She had both inpatient and outpatient treatments, including electroconvulsive shock treatments (ECTs). To quote Dr. Sampson, "As a clinical psychologist who has counseled many hundreds of people, I can say that the personal journey that brought me to this point is a fascinating and instructive case study worth sharing." And, indeed, this is a captivating read. Dr. Myrtle Boykin Sampson is a licensed clinical psychologist, psychotherapist, university educator, nationally certified counselor, civic volunteer, and philanthropist. She and her husband, retired pharmacist, Dr. Robert R. Sampson live in Greensboro, NC. The couple has one adult son, Ricky. North Carolina A & T State University's Outstanding Teacher of the Year in '84-'85, she is one of the founders of the Friends of the A & T School of Education and has established an endowed scholarship. A portion of the proceeds from this book will support student scholarships through the Friends organization.

Cathy Carter and her brother Douglas own a pet cemetery and animal rescue center in the small, upstate New York town of Buttercup Bend. After the local “Cat Crazy Lady,” Maggie Broom, is found dead in her home, Cathy is stunned to learn that Rainbow Gardens and Rainbow Rescues is the recipient of most of Maggie’s estate. Maggie’s estranged brother and sister come to town and are upset with the terms of their sister's will. Sheriff Leroy Miller is convinced one of them killed Maggie. When another person turns up dead, Cathy sets out to solve the murders with her reporter friend, Nancy Meyers. But who really wanted to kill the "Cat Crazy Lady," and why?

A “blessedly unromantic” portrait of real women’s lives in the contemporary American West (Kathleen Norris). This wide-ranging collection of essays and poetry reveals the day-to-day lives and experiences of a diverse collection of women in the western United States, from Buddhists in Nebraska to Hutterites in South Dakota to “rodeo moms.” A woman chooses horse work over housework; neighbors pull together to fight a raging wildfire; a woman rides a donkey across Colorado to raise money after the tragedy at Columbine. Women recall harmony found at a drugstore, at a powwow, in a sewing circle. Lively, heartfelt, urgent, enduring, Crazy Woman Creek celebrates community—connections built or strengthened by women that unveil a new West.