Twice, on the last day of her childhood, Moralin sees death coming straight at her. The first time, in the fighting yard, she saves herself. But the second time, outside the city walls . . .
Moralin is captured by the Arkera, age-old enemies of her people. They dress in rough clothes and use a language Moralin can't understand. Why have they kidnapped her? Why are they taking her with them into the heart of the red forest, where the fire-breathing skulkuk lives? And if Moralin can escape, can she survive the skulkuk and the other perils of the wilderness?
Moralin is about to face death again. She is also about to uncover secrets -- secrets about the Arkera, her own people, and herself.

The Feverbird's Claw

Children's Books

Kurtz, Jane

Literature & Fiction

Greenwillow Books

On the eve of the day she is to begin temple service, Moralin of Delagua is kidnapped by the Arkera, enduring grueling adventures as she tries to escape, and ultimately learning surprising truths about her own people.

Greenwillow

Dakar is scared. When her family left East Africa to spend a year or two in Cottonwood, North Dakota, Dakar's older sister, Jakarta, was adamant about staying behind. Now Jakarta is all by herself in Kenya...and she's missing. It's terrible to go through life cringing, sure that at any minute a blow is going to come from somewhere. Dakar doesn't want to worry, but she can't help it. What if Jakarta was in the middle of a Nairobi bombing? What if Mom gets caught by hoodies and forced back into that place when Jakarta isn't even there to help? What if Dad decides to go off to save lives and is seized by some mysterious disease? If Dakar were able to do three really brave things, would that be enough to keep her family together? Almost everything in Cottonwood, North Dakota, requires bravery from a girl who has grown up in Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Senegal. The possibility of a new friend, navigating a new school, and preparing for snow -- the first Dakar will ever see -- is the least of it. Jakarta is missing...when she's home and when she's not. And for Jakarta, Dakar will battle the universe.

Jakarta Missing

Growing Up & Facts of Life

On a gray day the heroine of this book feels every bit as grouchy as the cloudy, rainy, windy sky outside her bedroom window. There is no way that her all-too-cheerful Mom and Dad are going to convince her to get out of bed. Or is there?
How do you transform a stormy mood into a sunny one? This clever story holds the secret: a stomping, romping, wild dance that can make you feel like yourself again -- and ready at last for smiles and giggles with the people who really do understand you after all.

Rain Romp: Stomping Away a Grouchy Day

Nothing seems to be cheering up a grouchy little girl on a rainy day, yet when she storms outside to stomp around, she discovers that splashing around in puddles is a fantastic way to make oneself feel better!

Science, Nature & How It Works

Memories of Sun: Stories of Africa and America

What is it like to grow up in different parts of Africa today? 
And what's it like to be a child of two cultures -- an American living in Africa, or an African living in America? 
 In South Africa visit the Bushman Farm, where a lonely girl meets a group of Bushmen who are making their living as a tourist attraction -- and finds friendship and family as she's never known them before. In Tanzania join an American family on an unforgettable safari whose highlights include a broken car, a camp of armed men, heat, tsetse flies, and laughter. In Los Angeles be surprised by what happens when a teenage veteran from war in Sierra Leone comes into conflict with a local gang leader.
 Jane Kurtz, who is herself a child of two cultures -- Ethiopia and America -- has gathered a remarkable collection of voices. These twelve stories and three poems sing of Africa, of America, and of people changing, growing, crying, and laughing under the same sun.

Amistad

Twelve stories and three poems are compiled into an anthology with three distinct sections--Africa, Americans in Africa, and Africans in America--that captures the struggles and sacrifices of life as experienced by people on two totally different continents.

Jupiter is used to being a planet of one, and she likes it that way. But then a cousin, who Jupiter never even knew existed, comes from Ethiopia to stay for the summer, and Jupiter is put in charge of taking care of her. A lyrical and memorable story of family, friendship, and community—perfect for fans of Katherine Hannigan’s Ida B and Holly Goldberg Sloan’s Counting by 7s.
Jupiter and her family have spent their lives on the road, moving from town to town in a trusty old van and earning their living by playing music for tourists. But when their van breaks down, Jupiter’s mother rents an actual house in Portland for the summer so Jupiter’s annoying cousin Edom, recently adopted from Ethiopia, can stay with them. Luckily, Edom doesn’t want to be in Portland any more than Jupiter wants her there, and the two hatch a Grand Plan to send Edom back to her mother. In the process, Jupiter learns that community and family aren’t always what you expect them to be.
A sweet, genuine story with themes of community, immigration, finances, family, and taking care of the environment that will appeal to fans of Cynthia Lord and Lynda Mullaly Hunt.

Planet Jupiter

Arts, Music & Photography

Ten-year-old Anna Nickel is moving from Colorado to Kansas, and she is not happy about leaving her friends behind! This is a moving, often humorous coming-of-age story about family, faith, God's love, and the meaning of home, perfect for fans of Katherine Paterson and The Penderwicks.
Ten-year-old Anna Nickel's worst nightmare has come true. Her father has decided to move the family back to Oakwood, Kansas—where he grew up—in order to become the minister of the church there. New friends, new school, a new community, and a family of strangers await, and what's even worse, it's all smack-dab in the middle of Tornado Alley. Anna has always prided herself on being prepared (she keeps a notebook on how to cope with disasters, from hurricanes to shark bites), but she'll be tested in Oakwood! This beautifully written novel introduces a family who takes God's teachings to heart while finding many occasions to laugh along the way, and an irrepressible and wholesome ten-year-old who, with a little help from Midnight H. (her cat), takes control of her destiny.

Anna Was Here

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kurtz, Jane. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Kurtz, Jane

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Kurtz, Jane. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Feverbird's Claw

The Feverbird's Claw

Jakarta Missing

Jakarta Missing

Rain Romp: Stomping Away a Grouchy Day

Rain Romp: Stomping Away a Grouchy Day

Memories of Sun: Stories of Africa and America

Memories of Sun: Stories of Africa and America

Planet Jupiter

Anna Was Here