Judy lives in a tent with her family. Will they ever be able to afford a farm with a real house? Ten-year-old Judy and her family are migrants, moving from farm to farm with each new season. Starting in Alabama, they travel to Florida and up the East Coast all the way to New Jersey, always looking for steady work. Every time Judy feels as if they're beginning to put down roots, they have to move on. It's hard for her to catch up in school; it's hard to make and keep friends. Judy likes the people she meets along the way, but she longs for a real home. Will her family ever have a farm of their own?   Judy's Journey is a realistic depiction of the life of migrant farm workers in the mid-1900s.   This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Lenski including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate.

Mary Jemison has been captured by a Shawnee war party! How will she survive? When twelve-year-old Mary Jemison and her family are captured by Shawnee raiders, she's sure they'll all be killed. Instead, Mary is separated from her siblings and traded to two Seneca sisters, who adopt her and make her one of their own. Mary misses her home, but the tribe is kind to her. She learns to plant crops, make clay pots, and sew moccasins, just as the other members do. Slowly, Mary realizes that the Indians are not the monsters she believed them to be. When Mary is given the chance to return to her world, will she want to leave the tribe that has become her family?   This Newbery Honor book is based on the true story of Mary Jemison, the pioneer known as the "White Woman of the Genesee."   This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Lenski including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate.

Cowboy Small takes good care of his horse, Cactus. In return, Cactus helps Cowboy Small get work done on the range. Together they round up cattle for branding and live the good life. At night, Cowboy Small eats at the chuck wagon, sings with his friends, and sleeps under the stars.From the Hardcover edition.

An Iowa farm boy longs to quit school and join his dad working the land Dick comes home from school early and tells his mother he was sent home with a stomachache. She puts him to bed and tells him to get some sleep, but Dick can't shut his eyes for a second. All his life he's wanted to be a farmer—to quit school and join his father and brother driving tractors across their sprawling property—and today is his chance. His father is getting a 2nd tractor, and he'll need Dick to drive it. Dick is certain that there's nothing on the farm that he can't handle. But when he gets a taste of farmer's work, will he be so sure it's the life for him? This charming novel offers a detailed look at life on a farm and a snapshot of a time when a boy could quit school to work in the fields.

A young African American girl moves from the South to the North and finds that family is the same wherever you go Nobody can climb a tree as fast as Lula Bell. Although her mother tells her to be ladylike, Lula Bell prefers fishing and climbing and scrapping in the dirt with the boys. When her day is done, she sits on the porch with her grandmother Hattie, and listens to her tell stories of the North. Up there, Mama Hattie says, everybody's rich. No one ever has to scrimp to buy nice dresses or spend all day fishing just to put dinner on the table. Life is good. And soon, Lula Bell is going to find out for herself. When her mother moves the family north to find better work, Lula Bell expects the good times have finally arrived. But life is hard wherever they go, and the only thing Lula Bell can truly count on is her mother and beloved Mama Hattie.

A young boy dreams of music and sunshine in the Great Smoky Mountains As far as Billy is concerned, there's no sight more beautiful than the sun setting over the Blue Ridge Mountains. When the day is done, he sneaks away from his work to watch the sun go down. If his father knew, he would call Billy lazy, but Mama would understand. She knows life in the mountains is hard and that there's no point in living if a person can't take time to appreciate what he has. Billy dreams of the day when he can pick up his fiddle and sing the folk songs of his people. Until then, he will be content with the sun. This beautifully written novel tells a story of simple fun and irresistible pleasures in 1 of the most beautiful regions in the United States.

A boy and his grandpa hope to strike oil in drought-ridden Oklahoma It's hot in Oklahoma. There's no wind, the wells are dry, and the ground is dead. Orvie's family is doing everything they can to keep their farm going. If they miss a payment on the mortgage, the bank will take their home away, and they'll have nowhere else to go. Farming is tough, honest work, and it's no way to get rich. For years, Orvie's grandfather has sworn that there's oil under their land, and as soon as it starts bubbling up, they'll have more money than they know what to do with. But when the oil boom sweeps across Oklahoma, Orvie will find there are some problems that money can't solve. This rich portrait of life during the Oklahoma oil boom provides a lovingly detailed look at a forgotten time in history.

A Chinese boy struggles to adapt to life in the big city In Chinatown, the streets are crowded and the air is filled with delicious smells. Felix Fong and his family just moved to San Francisco from a town in the countryside, and they have never seen so many people. Felix's siblings are thrilled by the constant hustle and bustle, but he misses their old house. He liked having grass to play in and a pond to swim in. The city is overwhelming, and it doesn't feel like home. But soon Felix begins to have adventures in San Francisco. He makes friends and even gets a job. Before he knows it, he forgets about being homesick and learns to fall in love with the city.

How can Birdie's family grow strawberries when the neighbors let their cows into the berry fields? Birdie and her family are trying to build a farm in Florida. But it's not easy with the heat, droughts, and cold snaps—and neighbors that don't believe in fences. But Birdie won't give up on her dream of strawberries, and her family won't let those Slaters drive them from their home!   This Newberry Medal–winning novel presents a realistic picture of life on the Florida frontier.   This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Lenski including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate.

A young boy growing up in the Oregon wilderness dreams of becoming a logger Little Joe has been sawing trees since he was 5 years old. A child of the Oregon hills, he spends his days scampering through the forest around his family's cabin. Ever since he was old enough to hold an ax, he's wanted to be a logger like his daddy. He wants to wear boots with nails on them, saw down the mightiest trees in the forest, and holler "Timber!" as they come crashing to the ground. Little Joe has logging in his blood. Finally, Little Joe is old enough for his 1st visit to a logging camp. He sees the great machines taking down trees and loading them onto trucks, and he wants to be a logger more than ever. But as he grows up, he will find there are better ways to show his love for the forest than cutting it down.

A young girl grows up in the sooty shadow of the coal mines of West Virginia When the whistle blows, Christina knows her father is coming home. Every day he emerges from the pit with his skin caked in coal dust. He's 50 now and he's been working in the mines since he was 12 years old. It's dangerous, backbreaking labor, but he does it because he loves his family. As far as Christina is concerned, there is no job in the world more honorable than digging coal. Danger is always close at hand in the mines. There are cave-ins, explosions, and diseases. But no matter what happens, Christina and her family always stick together. This meticulously researched look at life in a coal camp shows that no matter how dark the pit, love will always shine through.

What would it be like to live on a houseboat on the Mississippi River with two parents, four kids, eight chickens, several turtles, a dog, and a cat? Patsy and her family are about to find out! At first, Patsy is upset when her parents decide to move from their home in River City, Illinois, to a houseboat on the Mississippi River. She'll miss her house and friends, and she's sure the trip downriver will be boring. Gradually, she and her brother and sisters get used to their new life. Patsy grows to love the ever-changing river, where she even learns to swim. But she can't help longing for a real house—on land.    Houseboat Girl is based on the experiences of real families living on the Mississippi River in the summer of 1954.   This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Lenski including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate.

A Cajun girl tries to keep her family together on the Louisiana bayou It's been almost 2 years since Suzette's father caught 2 bullets in his back. Since then, he's been bed-ridden, too sick to hunt or fish or do any of the things a bayou man must do to keep his family fed. While he heals, Suzette scours the swamps around her house for fish, gators, or anything she can sell to put food on the table. It's hard, but Suzette is a proud Cajun, and work doesn't scare her. When an Indian girl appears on the bayou, Suzette finds in her a friend—and maybe a way to save her family. This moving novel lovingly depicts the warmth and vitality of Cajun people and a time when the bayous seemed to stretch forever.

Will Sally and her family ever be able to go home? When heavy rains cause the river to flood, Sally, her family, and many of their neighbors have to evacuate their homes. With nothing but the clothes on their backs, they seek shelter at the local school. At first, it seems like an adventure, but as reports come in of whole houses being washed away, Sally learns the meaning of being a true friend and a good neighbor.   Flood Friday is based on the actual flooding of western Connecticut in 1955.   This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Lenski including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate.