Letters from the past transport a young Spanish woman into the mysterious lives of her father and her uncle during the waning years of colonial rule in Guinea When Clarence comes upon a series of letters from her family’s past, she starts to piece together the story of her father’s travels with his brother, and she becomes curious about her origins. Sifting through the clues and assembling the narrative, Clarence embarks on a journey to the exotic African isle of Fernando Poo, where the 2 brothers, Jacobo and Kilian, landed after fleeing their conventional, safe lives in the Spanish Pyrenees. A secret rests at the heart of this tale as it moves back and forth between generations and spaces. For Clarence, in 2003, the life that Jacobo and Kilian created 50 years ago on the island as 2 expatriate cocoa cultivators starts to unfold. The brothers explore a culture that is starkly different from Spain, and in the midst of discovering what it means to grow the perfect cocoa beans, they build a strong friendship—and learn the dangers and delights of forbidden love.

Growing up, Maya was surrounded by palm trees, the ocean breeze, and a big extended family. Maya's life takes a turn as she witnesses her beautiful island being destroyed by the war. Maya's parents decide to immigrate to another county to find peace and safety. When she arrives in the new country, Maya can't speak the language and no one at school wants to be her friend. Will Maya ever feel a sense of belonging in her new home? This picture book is for children ages 7 to 11 years: Beautifully written story about the hardships and challenges a child faces in a war-torn country Heartfelt story about the plight of immigration and a struggle with identity and belonging Stresses the importance of empowerment through education Celebrates the power of hope and hard work Encourages empathy and compassion Address themes of diversity, inclusion, and tolerance Includes beautiful vibrant illustrations Perfect for children reading alone, story time for families, classrooms, and libraries Stimulates many important discussions

Mike Sullivan loves his adopted city of San Francisco, and he loves trees. In The Trees of San Francisco he has combined his passions, offering a striking and handy compendium of botanical information, historical tidbits, cultivation hints, and more. Sullivan's introduction details the history of trees in the city, a fairly recent phenomenon. The text then piques the reader's interest with discussions of 71 city trees. Each tree is illustrated with a photograph--with its common and scientific names prominently displayed--and its specific location within San Francisco, along with other sites; frequently a close-up shot of the tree is included. Sprinkled throughout are 13 sidelights relating to trees; among the topics are the city's wild parrots and the trees they love; an overview of the objectives of the Friends of the Urban Forest; and discussions about the link between Australia's trees and those in the city, such as the eucalyptus. The second part of the book gets the reader up and about, walking the city to see its trees. Full-page color maps accompany the seven detailed tours, outlining the routes; interesting factoids are interspersed throughout the directions. A two-page color map of San Francisco then highlights 25 selected neighborhoods ideal for viewing trees, leading into a checklist of the neighborhoods and their trees.

Even if you live in a cool area, you can grow palms and other warm-climate plants with the assistance of Francko's firsthand observations and research.

Hearts Full of Hope, follows Aiden, Ming, Vani, Sulo, and Bruno around the world as they do their part to save lives just by staying home. Children will recognize their own experiences and emotions as they see children around the world play board games, read books, attend virtual school, bake goodies, and hold their families close. "Our hearts are full of hope. If we all work together, the world will rise again!

PALM BEACH'S #1 BESTSELLER SINCE PUBLICATION. For two decades Palm Beach socialite and film producer George Williams exchanged his tuxedo for a flight suit and surreptitiously flew millions of dollars of marijuana, cocaine and cash between Colombia, the Bahamas and Florida, evading U.S. Customs, DEA, the FBI, federal task forces and the local police. A fixture at balls, charity events and social gatherings, Williams became a top cocaine supplier for the tuxedo and tiara set on the island, having survived a crash landing in the Bahamas. An expert blackjack player, he appeared on Regis and other shows, filming commercials for American Express, Miller Lite and others.Never caught, his true identity never revealed, this is the amazing memoir of the man who shuttled between the Colombian drug lords of Medellin, the remote jungle airstrips of Honduras, the casinos of Las Vegas and the ballrooms and glitter of Palm Beach. With acerbic wit, he names names and pulls back the curtain on a segment of society rarely seen outside the drawing rooms and clubs of Palm Beach.

Snow Mountain Passage is a powerful retelling of the most dramatic of our pioneer stories—the ordeal of the Donner Party, with its cast of young and old risking all, its imprisoning snows, its rumors of cannibalism. James Houston takes us inside this central American myth in a compelling new way that only a novelist can achieve. The people whose dreams, courage, terror, ingenuity, and fate we share are James Frazier Reed, one of the leaders of the Donner Party, and his wife and four children—in particular his eight-year-old daughter, Patty. From the moment we meet Reed—proud, headstrong, yet a devoted husband and father—traveling with his family in the "Palace Car," a huge, specially built covered wagon transporting the Reeds in grand style, the stage is set for trouble. And as they journey across the country, thrilling to new sights and new friends, coping with outbursts of conflict and constant danger, trouble comes. It comes in the fateful choice of a wrong route, which causes the group to arrive at the foot of the Sierra Nevada too late to cross into the promised land before the snows block the way. It comes in the sudden fight between Reed and a drover—a fight that exiles Reed from the others, sending him solo over the mountains ahead of the storms. We follow Reed during the next five months as he travels around northern California, trying desperately to find means and men to rescue his family. And through the amazingly imagined "Trail Notes" of Patty Reed, who recollects late in life her experiences as a child, we also follow the main group, progressively stranded and starving on the Nevada side of the Sierras. Snow Mountain Passage is an extraordinary tale of pride and redemption. What happens—who dies, who survives, and why—is brilliantly, grippingly told.