A young woman who had been raised in Boston marries a member of the Northwest Mounted Police and goes with him to live in the Canadian wilderness.

In this long-awaited sequel to the “unforgettable” (Boston Herald) bestseller Mrs. Mike, Benedict and Nancy Freedman paint a portrait of the World War II era—as seen through the eyes of a young Cree woman on her own for the very first time… When her dear friend O Be Joyful died in a flu epidemic, Mrs. Mike Flanigan opened her home—and heart—to her orphaned child, Kathy Forquet. Over the years, young Kathy delighted in the Flanigans’ love—and suffered the pain of her schoolmates’ prejudice. But as the terrors of World War II drew closer to home, Kathy decided to leave her familiar home and do her part by going to a nursing school in Montreal. There her life fills with drama and excitement as she meets two very different men—a Native American who helps her understand her lost heritage, and a wounded Austrian soldier who shares fascinating stories of his exotic, embattled homeland. And as she learns about herself and the world beyond her hometown, she tries to find the elusive prize she has sought for so long: the meaning of true joy… Richly detailed and emotionally powerful, The Search for Joyful is the inspiring story of a young woman’s courageous search for fulfillment—and the long-awaited new novel by the authors of the beloved Mrs. Mike, praised by Library Journal as “a book the reader will be unable to put down until the last page is read.”

All of her life, Kathy Little Bird has heard stories of her grandmother, Mrs. Mike, from her own mother, a Cree Indian nurse who married a wounded Austrian soldier during the waning years of World War II. Living with her mother and stepfather on the plains of St. Alban, Kathy takes the tradition of Cree music to heart—“singing” the wilderness and the people she knows so well. But Kathy longs for freedom from her sheltered life and takes her first chance to get away, marrying a charming con artist who promises her the world—and leaving behind her childhood sweetheart. Staying in seedy hotels and singing in run-down clubs, she slowly finds the fame she craves. But screaming fans and hit songs cannot fill the hole within her heart—the aching need she has for the native people she left behind, the father she never knew, and a love that will calm her restless soul. Brimming with hardship, hope, the struggles of the heart, and the turbulence of a world on the brink of change, this new novel is the moving story of one woman’s attempt to make her mark on the world—without losing herself. “This is a book the reader will be unable to put down until the last page is read.”—Library Journal “Mrs. Mike is an unforgettable story, not only because it portrays the deep abiding affection between a man and a woman, but because it pictures the austere beauty of a country where life is at once simple and free, yet complicated by danger and hardship.”—Boston Herald

When Zack meets his second-grade teacher, Miss Smith, he can tell right away that her class will be different. But he has no idea just how different it will be! Miss Smith has a knack for telling tales when she reads from her incredible book, the stories literally spring to life! Then one day Miss Smith is late for school. The principal takes over and things get out of hand. The classroom is swarming with storybook characters from princesses to pirates to the three little pigs? All it takes is one spectacular teacher.

Set in the Loire Valley, this is the story of William Wordsworth's sojourn in France and his marriage to Annette Vallon. France becomes too dangerous for the English spy, who leaves the country, but Annette carries on her counter-revolutionary activities.

A modern classic that no child should miss. Since it was first published in 1939, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel has delighted generations of children. Mike and his trusty steam shovel, Mary Anne, dig deep canals for boats to travel through, cut mountain passes for trains, and hollow out cellars for city skyscrapers -- the very symbol of industrial America. But with progress come new machines, and soon the inseparable duo are out of work. Mike believes that Mary Anne can dig as much in a day as one hundred men can dig in a week, and the two have one last chance to prove it and save Mary Anne from the scrap heap. What happens next in the small town of Popperville is a testament to their friendship, and to old-fashioned hard work and ingenuity.

Offers eleven short stories, accompanied by essays and commentaries that illuminate the craft of storytelling and the influences of people and places on the author's works.