DIVDIVWhat 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! /divDIVAt 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. /divDIV /divDIVHouseboat Girl is based on the experiences of real families living on the Mississippi River in the summer of 1954./divDIV /divDIVThis ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Lenski including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate./div/div

Grace Brooks Hill's 'The Corner House Girls on a Houseboat' follows the adventures of a group of young girls who embark on an exciting journey on a houseboat. The book is written in a lively and engaging style, filled with vivid descriptions of the girls' escapades as they navigate through challenges and unexpected encounters. Set in the early 20th century, the novel provides a glimpse into the lives of young women during this time period, highlighting themes of friendship, independence, and exploration. Hill's attention to detail and character development make this a delightful read for readers of all ages interested in historical fiction. Grace Brooks Hill, a prolific writer of children's literature, drew inspiration from her own experiences growing up in the early 1900s to create the beloved 'Corner House Girls' series. Her passion for storytelling and knack for capturing the essence of childhood adventures shine through in this charming tale. Hill's work continues to resonate with readers, making her a timeless figure in the world of children's literature. I highly recommend 'The Corner House Girls on a Houseboat' to readers looking for a captivating and nostalgic read that celebrates the spirit of friendship and adventure. Hill's storytelling prowess and the endearing characters she introduces make this book a true literary gem worth exploring.

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the author's family lived aboard a 47-foot sailboat, spending their summers along the U.S. East Coast and their winters in the Bahamas. As an adult, she lived aboard her own 28-foot sailboat and had several relationships trying to find someone who wasn't intimidated by her stubborn independence and free-spirited lifestyle.

This "impossible to forget" psychological thriller set in small town Iowa in the 1960s pits a detective struggling with his own demons against a mysterious outcast who may or may not be a serial killer (The Wall Street Journal) James Sallis meets Mindhunter in this stylish and atmospheric noir, a midcentury heartland gothic with abounding twists and a feverish conclusion. Local outcast Rigby Sellers lives in squalor on a dilapidated houseboat moored on the Mississippi River. With only stolen mannequins and the river to keep him company, Rigby begins to spiral from the bizarre to the threatening. As a year of drought gives way to a season of squalls, a girl is found trembling on the side of the road, claiming her boyfriend was murdered. The townspeople of nearby Oscar turn their suspicions toward Sellers. Town sheriff Amos Fielding knows this crime is more than he can handle alone. He calls on the regional marshal up in Minnesota, and detective Edward Ness arrives in Oscar to help him investigate the homicide and defuse the growing unrest. Ness, suffering his own demons, is determined to put his past behind him and solve the case. But soon more bodies are found. As Ness and Fielding uncover disturbing facts about Sellers, and a great storm floods the Mississippi, threatening the town, Oscar is pushed to a breaking point even Ness may not be able to prevent.

Twenty-five-year-old Devi has been kidnapped. She is now being held hostage in a dimly-lit basement by a masked gunman who is threatening to shoot her dead unless she reveals her entire life story and confesses to all the crimes he is accusing her of. To add to her terror, he is putting her life up for an online auction, where the highest bidder will determine her fate. With her very existence hanging in the balance, Devi proceeds to give her captor ‘a confession to beat all confessions’, while simultaneously engaging in a high-stakes battle of wits and endurance against impossible odds. Thus commences an enthralling odyssey through the heart and soul of modern India, as over the course of a single night, Devi unveils the secrets of her seven extraordinary lives. From the labyrinthine alleys of Delhi to the hallowed grounds of Punjab, from the serene landscapes of Kerala to the sun-drenched shores of Goa, and ultimately to the bustling streets of Mumbai, Devi’s captivating journey is a rollercoaster ride through a tangled tapestry of hidden truths, deceit, and shocking revelations which will keep readers on the edge of their seats until the very last page. Devi is the ultimate survivor - a girl from the gutters who dares to rewrite her own destiny. But can she survive the longest night of her life? Vikas Swarup’s long-awaited new novel is filled with the same evocative prose, immersive narrative and propulsive energy that made Slumdog Millionaire a global bestseller, and will resonate with readers looking for a thoughtful page-turner.

Since the early 1800s, people have made a living fishing and harvesting mussels in the lower Ohio Valley. These river folk are conscious of an occupational and social identity separate from those who earn their living from the land. Sustained by a shared love of the river, deriving joy from the beauty of their chosen environment, and feeling great pride in their ability to subsist on its wild resources and to master the skills required to make a living from it, many still identify with the nomadic houseboat-dwelling subculture that flourished on the river from the early nineteenth century to the 1950s. Today's community of fisherfolk is small and economically marginal, but their activities sustain a complex set of traditional skills and a body of verbal folklore associated with river life. In Flatheads and Spoonies, Jens Lund describes the activities, boats, gear, verbal lore, and sense of identity of the fisher folk of the lower Ohio River Valley and provides historical and ethnobiological background for their way of life. Lund connects the importance of river fish in the diet of inhabitants of the valley to local fishing activities and explores the relationship between river people and those whose culture is primarily land-based, painting a colorful portrait of river fishing and river life. This book offers a look—historical and ethnographic—at a little-known aspect of traditional life in the American Midwest, still surviving today despite immense changes in environment, resources, and economic base.

For generations of children, including a young Oprah Winfrey, opening a Lois Lenski book has meant opening a world. This was just what the author wanted: to help children “see beyond the rim of their own world.” In Lois Lenski: Storycatcher, historian and educator Bobbie Malone takes us into Lenski’s own world to tell the story of how a girl from a small Ohio town became a beloved literary icon. Author and illustrator of the Newbery Award–winning Strawberry Girl and numerous other tales of children from America’s diverse regions and cultures, Lenski spent five decades creating stories for young readers. Lois Lenski: Storycatcher follows her development as a writer and as an artist, and it traces the evolution of her passionate belief in the power of empathy conveyed in children’s books. Understanding that youngsters responded instinctively to narratives rich in reality, Lenski turned her extensive study of hardworking families into books that accurately and movingly depicted the lives of the children of sharecroppers, coal miners, and migrant field workers. From Bayou Suzette to Blue Ridge Billy, Corn-Farm Boy to Houseboat Girl, and Boom Town Boy to Texas Tomboy, Lenski’s books mirrored the cultural energy and concerns of the time. This first full-length biography tells how Lenski traveled throughout the country, gathering the stories that brought to life in words and pictures whole worlds that had for so long been invisible in children’s literature. In the process, her work became a source of delight, inspiration, and insight for generations of readers.