“I promise: you will be transported,” says Bill Moyers of this memoir. Part Mennonite in a Little Black Dress, part Growing Up Amish, and part Little House on the Prairie, this book evokes a lost time, in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, when a sheltered little girl named after Shirley Temple entered a family and church caught up in the midst of the cultural changes of the 1950”s and ‘60’s. With gentle humor and clear-eyed affection the author, who grew up to become a college president, tells the story of her first encounters with the “glittering world” and her desire for “fancy” forbidden things she could see but not touch. The reader enters a plain Mennonite Church building, walks through the meadow, makes sweet and sour feasts in the kitchen and watches the little girl grow up. Along the way, five other children enter the family, one baby sister dies, the family moves to the “home place.” The major decisions, whether to join the church, and whether to leave home and become the first person in her family to attend college, will have the reader rooting for the girl to break a new path. In the tradition of Jill Ker Conway’s The Road to Coorain, this book details the formation of a future leader who does not yet know she’s being prepared to stand up to power and to find her own voice. The book contains many illustrations and resources, including recipes, a map, and an epilogue about why the author is still Mennonite. Topics covered include the death of a child, Pennsylvania Dutch cooking, the role of bishops in the Mennonite church, the paradoxes of plain life (including fancy cars and the practice of growing tobacco). The drama of passing on the family farm and Mennonite romance and courtship, as the author prepares to leave home for college, create the final challenges of the book.

Puffin in Bloom: A collection of classics with stunning cover art by renowned stationery brand Rifle Paper Co.'s principal artist, Anna Bond, now available as an exquisite gift set! Featuring all four Puffin in Bloom classics with illustrated covers by Anna Bond in a charming keepsake box designed in her signature style. Box includes: Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, Little Women, and A Little Princess "Puffin in Bloom's lush new editions of children's classics are sure to entertain older girls." - Vogue "Read 'em and keep: Chic...As a gift or on your shelf, they speak volumes." - O, The Oprah Magazine

"The Secret Garden" – Mary Lennox, a sickly and spoiled little girl, is orphaned to dim prospects in a gloomy English manor. Her only friend is a bed-ridden boy named Colin whose prospects may be dimmer than hers. But when Mary finds the key to a Secret Garden, the magical powers of transformation fall within her reach. The Secret Garden is an inspirational tale of transformation and empowerment._x000D_ "A Little Princess" – Captain Ralph Crewe, a wealthy English widower, enrolls his young daughter Sara at Miss Minchin's boarding school for girls in London, to prepare her for a life in high society. Sara enjoys a special treatment and exceptional luxuries, and Miss Minchin openly fawns over Sara for her wealth. But all that changes when Captain Ralph suddenly dies after losing all his fortune, leaving Sara in poverty and in disfavor with Miss Minchin.

The Secret Garden is a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published in 1911. It is now one of Burnett's most popular novels, and is considered to be a classic of English children's literature. The Secret Garden, tells an inspirational tale of transformation and empowerment. Mary Lennox, a sickly and contrary little girl, is orphaned to dim prospects in a gloomy English manor - her only friend is a bed-ridden boy named Colin whose prospects may be dimmer than hers. But when Mary finds the key to a Secret Garden, the magical powers of transformation fall within her reach. A Little Princess is a 1905 children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It is a revised and expanded version of Burnett's 1888 serialised novel entitled Sara Crewe. Sara Crewe, a pupil at Miss Minchin's London school, is left in poverty when her father dies, but is later rescued by a mysterious benefactor. Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (1849 – 1924) was an English-American playwright and author. She is best known for her children's stories, in particular Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess, and The Secret Garden.

Shirley Temple-Black, the popular child star of the 1930s and 1940s, tells of the ups and downs of life as a Hollywood prodigy. She writes of her relationship with her parents, how her finances were controlled, two attempts on her life, her first marriage at 17 and her second, happier marriage to Charlie Black.

In Jennifer L. Holm's New York Times bestselling, Newbery Honor winning middle grade historical fiction novel, life isn't like the movies. But then again, 11-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple. She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending. After all, it's 1935 and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce. So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida to live with relatives she's never met. Florida's like nothing Turtle's ever seen before though. It's hot and strange, full of rag tag boy cousins, family secrets, scams, and even buried pirate treasure! Before she knows what's happened, Turtle finds herself coming out of the shell she's spent her life building, and as she does, her world opens up in the most unexpected ways. Filled with adventure, humor and heart, Turtle in Paradise is an instant classic both boys and girls with love. Includes an Author's Note with photographs and further background on the Great Depression, as well as additional resources and websites. Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews: "Sweet, funny and superb." Starred Review, Booklist: "Just the right mixture of knowingness and hope . . . a hilarious blend of family drama seasoned with a dollop of adventure."