A proud, gifted young man learns to overcome abuse. Dane, a high-school senior and ski team standout, is in a rehabilitation clinic in Florida, a thousand miles from his home in upstate New York. Guillain-Barre syndrome has paralyzed him completely, and doctors don't know when—or if—he'll regain the use of his body. When Anya, a young, no-nonsense woman, enters Dane's room and introduces herself as his physical therapist, Dane promptly sends her away. He's confident that he'll overcome this freakish illness without her superior attitude. Dane finds his occupational therapist more agreeable, and the two make quick progress on Dane's upper extremities. His legs are another matter. Dane understands quickly that if he wants to ski—or walk—again, he'll need to work with Anya. She and Dane reluctantly agree to develop his body strength, but as his family's visit to check his progress gets nearer, tension mounts. Dane's disdain for his friends, his family, and even his girlfriend grows clear, and his father's intolerance for failure becomes a consuming preoccupation. When the day of the visit arrives, a lifetime of subtle abuse either will cause Dane's icy mind to crack, or the young man will learn to thaw. An intense pain, tingling and electric, suddenly needles into my right calf, making me flinch. My breathing tries to speed up on me, but I catch it, forcing it back into the right rhythm. I close my teeth onto the insides of my cheeks and focus. Never lose control. —FROM THE BOOK

Thaw

Children's Books

Roe, Monica M.

Sports & Outdoors

Front Street imprint of Boyds Mills Press

Mu Lan is at her loom when she hears the Emperor's call to arms. She rides off to war in her father's stead, embarking on a journey of ten thousand miles that takes her away from home for ten years. Her courage and valor bring her to the Emperor's attention and to the Golden Court. When offered whatever she wishes as a reward, she asks only to go home. There she surprises her mother and father, sister and brother--but it is her comrades in arms who are most surprised of all. The Song of Mu Lan is closely translated from an ancient text and echoes the rhythms of Chinese, which is here faithfully reproduced in original calligraphy by Chan Bo Wan, the artist's father. Jeanne M. Lee has rendered the panorama of characters in silken watercolors, providing a lush counterpoint to the spare, elegant text.

Song of Mu Lan

Jeanne M. Lee

History

While traveling, Arjun's caravan is waylaid by robbers who kidnap his beloved sister and murder his guardian uncle. Arjun's life is spared, but he is captured and sold into slavery, losing his privileges as a Brahmin. Instructed in the care and training of elephants, he becomes a legendary warrior. At the height of his fame he is captured again, and as a slave once more, he finds unexpected fulfillment and inspiration as a stone carver. Malcolm Bosse, a master of description and historical detail, gives Arjun's story, set many centuries ago, a remarkable contemporary reality.

Tusk and Stone

Bosse, Malcolm

Literature & Fiction

What would you do if you clapped two erasers together and a genie appeared in a cloud of chalk-dust and granted you three wishes? Or if you opened your messy desk and a small creature was eating your favorite eraser? Or if a voice in your ear told you the answer to a very difficult question on a test? Here are 11 stories of the strange happenings in the classroom at the end of the hall. The one the janitor claims is haunted by the ghost of W.T. Melon himself, the original principal of the school. Each story tells a comic tall tale that teaches a few unusual lessons about schools, teachers, kids, and learning itself.

Classroom at the End of the Hall

Evans, Douglas

An insightful and thought-provoking look at assisted suicide from the perspective of a 15-year-old boy.

Stone Water

Teen & Young Adult

Barbara Snow Gilbert

A child's epic adventure is depicted brilliantly in this elegant and visually stunning collaboration between a mother and son. The poet--Nina Payne--conjures the world in all its symmetry and beauty, using only fifty-six common nouns that every child knows. The artist--Adam Payne---tells the story of a child's discovery of creation in exquisite cut-paper collage. The poet's and artist's visions come together seamlessly, enhancing each, transcending both to create a perfect picture book.

Four In All

Nina Payne

Explore the life cycle, habitat, and history of one of nature’s most misunderstood creatures.

The Door In The Lake

Nancy Butts

Science Fiction & Fantasy

"There's a light touch at play here that somehow works with the rich colors and sense of magic to make the book's final pages mysteriously affecting, and the inevitable hug genuinely heartwarming." -- The New York Times Book Review

My Daddy

Susan Paradis

Animals

Letters from Vinnie

A perceptive, thoughtful teenager lives through the events of America’s Civil War as she develops her own remarkable career. Vinnie Ream was a real person who sculpted the statue of Abraham Lincoln that stands in the U.S. Capitol today.

Maureen Stack Sappey

Join the fun as two mice invent a game that turns an ordinary staircase into a magical place to play and learn. Each step reveals a new surprise--birds to watch, art to create, chimes to hear, books to read, airplanes to fly. At the top, see where they have been and see how they have grown. On the Stairs lyrically celebrates the simple pleasures of a child's imaginative world.

On the Stairs

Julie Hofstrand Larios

Mary Hofstrand

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Books by Front Street imprint of Boyds Mills Press