Ellie's Family Album is aligned to the Common Core State Standards for English/Language Arts, addressing Literacy.RI.2.6 and Literacy.L.2.1d. Photographs of Ellie's family, accompanied by narrative nonfiction text, show readers what Ellie's family is like and how life has changed over time. This book includes a graphic organizer. This book should be paired with “Our Family Album" (9781477723517) from the InfoMax Common Core Readers Program to provide the alternative point of view on the same topic.

A FAMILY ALBUM follows three generations of the Kilmer family. Thea, the matriarch, is a remarkable woman who guides and loves her family from the late 19th century up to the mid 20th. Several members of the family as well as some collateral characters are heard telling their stories. They live in a small town in south central Kansas.

The acclaimed actress and author of Jesse: A Mother’s Story tells the "entertaining and moving" story of her outspoken, frequently outrageous Italian immigrant mother (Tom Perrotta) Marianne Leone’s Ma is in many senses a larger-than-life character, one who might be capable, even from the afterlife, of shattering expectations. Born on a farm in Italy, Linda finds her way to the United States under dark circumstances, having escaped a forced marriage to a much older man, and marries a good Italian boy. She never has full command of English—especially when questioned by authorities—and when she is suddenly widowed with three young children, she has few options. To her daughter’s horror and misery, she becomes the school lunch lady. Ma Speaks Up is a record of growing up on the wrong side of the tracks, with the wrong family, in the wrong religion. Though Marianne’s girlhood is flooded with shame, it’s equally packed with adventure, love, great cooking, and, above all, humor. The extremely premature birth of Marianne’s beloved son, Jesse, bonds mother and daughter in ways she couldn’t have imagined. The stories she tells will speak to anyone who has struggled with outsider status in any form and, of course, to mothers and their blemished, cherished girls.

Trust Me Once - Attorney Sarah Rand returns home to discover that she’s a dead woman. It was a case of mistaken identity, and no one knows that Sarah is still alive—except the killers still hunting her. With danger closing in, Sarah must trust to Owen Dean, a Hollywood celebrity with dark secrets of his own... Twice Burned – Twenty years after tragedy claimed the lives of her parents, Lea Hardy returns to her hometown to save her brother from execution. Friendless, Lea turns to Mick Conklin, a man she is attracted to but whose allegiance she’s unsure of. The truth will blow Stonybrook wide open, and they need to find the real killer before the two of them are caught in the blaze. Triple Threat - Just weeks before Independence Day, a Betsy Ross flag goes missing, and FBI Agent Nate Murtaugh has just ten days to find it. His search takes him to Philadelphia and to Ellie Littlefield, a savvy art dealer with connections in the underworld, and the two of them must navigate a world where murder is just a way of doing business. Only Ellie and Nate have a chance to stop a disaster, but the corporate powers behind it all refuse to let anyone—even a US President—stand in their way. Fourth Victim - Two decades ago, the mass suicide of a New Mexico cult shocked the nation. But now, someone is ushering the last of the cult’s ‘chosen’ disciples into the next world. For survivor Kelly Stone, now the mother of a three-year-old, the past is closing in, and this time there is nowhere to run. Ian Campbell is a cop with personal ties to the cult tragedy, and he will risk everything to keep Kelly alive. But it all comes down to a daring game of courage to decide the fate of the fourth victim . . . Five in a Row - Computer guru Emily Doyle has become the obsession of a hacker determined to capture her attention by killing innocent people. Emily recognizes the technology being used to gain control of the victim’s vehicles, but she also realizes she’s connected to each of them. Casualties are mounting, and investigator Ben Colter joins Emily to stop the hacker. But can they do it before his twisted mind moves from virtual reality to international terrorism...and kills them both? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ If you enjoyed the TV series Orphan Black or Castle, you’ll want to try this exciting debut suspense novel. This heart stopping, action-packed killer thriller will enthrall fans of Barbara Freethy, Laura Griffin, Debbie Baldwin, Toni Anderson, Alexandra Ivy, Hope Anika, Heather Graham, Mary Burton, Ethan Jones, Amanda Siegrist, Megan Mitcham, Sharon Sala, Lorhainne Eckhart, Rita Herron, Katie Reus, Carla Neggers, Linda Castillo, Cheryl Bradshaw, Elle James, Blair Howard, Karen Rose, D.V. Berkom, Kristi Belcamino, Janey Crouch, Willow Rose, JD Robb, Karen Robards, Kat Martin, Michael Connelly, Susan Stoker, Ann Rule, Iris Johansen, Tanya Anne Crosby. Props to the movie Laura, Otto Preminger and Gene Tierney. Keywords – pulse-pounding romantic thrillers, off-the-charts chemistry, smart sophisticated, fast-moving romantic suspense, believable love story, satisfying and complex mystery, well-researched fast-paced gripping white-knuckle read, emotional exciting page-turner, twisty action, romance and terror, strong female heroines and intense male leads, horror-worthy secrets, domestic thriller, fierce women seeking justice, mind blowing thought provoking suspense, great summer read, Mafia contract killer romance, wounded hero, female leads, heart-pounding, fast-paced, chilling, desperation, suicide, acts of revenge, redemption and revenge, murder mystery, forced proximity, political corruption conspiracy, dangerous games series, political novels suspense, bestselling whodunit, suspense books to read, psychological co-dependent hero and heroine, books to keep you up all night, books based on true crime, mistaken identity murder, sexual intrigue, cold case murder romantic suspense, white collar crime, novels about crime families, ticking clock suspense, financial conspiracy romantic suspense, movie star hero, television actor hero, lawyer heroine romance, corrupt politicians, Newport romantic suspense.

Rediscover this classic Western romance, the second story in the Heart of Texas series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber. After her father’s death, Ellie Frasier takes over the feed store in Promise, Texas. Still in mourning, she relies on her friends for comfort. She was always close with her childhood buddy Glen Patterson, but they never shared "those" feelings for each other. However, the folks around town know a good match when they see one, and Ellie and Glen suddenly find themselves being pushed together more and more often. And now her long-standing friendship feels like it’s turning into something else… Originally published in 1998

Join #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber as she visits the Heart of Texas! Welcome to Promise, Texas. It's a ranching town in the Texas hill country—'and it's a place with a mysterious past. But Promise has a heart of goodness, and everyone here knows what really matters in life. Love, family, community… Now meet the people of Promise. Savannah Weston is an old-fashioned kind of woman, quietly content to stay on the family ranch with her brother Grady. Until she meets a disenchanted cowboy named Laredo Smith. Lonesome Cowboy Ellie Frasier is still mourning her father and needs her friends. But now her relationship with one of those friends, rancher Glen Patterson, seems to be changing, turning into something else… Texas Two-Step Who's the father of Caroline Daniels's child? Everyone in Promise wants to know, but no one's ever asked—or ever will. The people here care about her. Especially rancher Grady Weston, who's beginning to realize he more than cares. Caroline's Child The Heart of Texas. There's no place like it!

Welcome to Promise, a small town in the heart of Texas where the neighbors are friendly and you might just find love. Lonesome Cowboy Everyone in Promise thinks Savannah Weston is content to stay on the quiet family ranch with her overbearing brother, Grady. Life on the ranch is busy but lonely, yet Savannah has her passions—particularly for the vintage roses she loves to grow. Then she meets a disenchanted cowboy named Laredo Smith. He’s a stranger to town, and doesn’t plan on staying long, but he may just change Savannah’s life…for the better. Texas Two-Step Ellie Frasier has to take over running the feed store in town after her father’s death. Still in mourning, she relies on her friends for comfort. She was always close with her childhood buddy Glen Patterson, but they never shared “those” feelings for each other. However, the folks around town know a good match when they see one, and Ellie and Glen suddenly find themselves being pushed together more and more often. And now her long-standing friendship feels like it’s turning into something else…