'I lost my husband and two of my four children on the same day. They left in the morning as usual, the girls happily following their Dad out of the door, and they didn't come back.' When her fine Christian husband walked out, after 22 years of marriage, Jen Croly was devastated. Painfully she tried to rebuild her life, stitch together her shattered confidence and discover who she was. She clung to her faith: 'Even when I could barely believe in God, God went on believing in me.' During the tough process of recovery she looked for a really candid, helpful book, but found most volumes horribly patronising. Here is what she sought: a book by someone who had survived the experience. She deals with practical questions: How do you tell other people? Whom can you trust? What is your name? What about the family? What about money, car maintenance? What about dating?

Suggests activities to be used at home to accompany the reading of Miss Nelson is missing by Harry Allard in the classroom.

Welcome to the sequel to ‘Becoming a Santa’. After a successful Christmas Eve, most of the elves are up in the Lapland snow celebrating. However, by the time Mrs Claus and the Santas get out many of them have gone. In an epic battle, an unknown group has herded the elves together and taken them away. Mrs Claus has to investigate and find a way to get them back. Meanwhile how are the remaining elves meant to create enough toys for next Christmas and how are they going to pay for it all? It sounds like they need a plan from some of the – err – most creative minds in Under Lapland.

Meet the brilliant writer, fiercely independent mother, and passionate woman who captured the heart of C.S. Lewis and inspired the books that still enchant and change us today, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea. When poet and writer Joy Davidman began writing letters to C. S. Lewis--known as Jack--she was looking for spiritual answers, not love. Love, after all, wasn't holding together her crumbling marriage. Everything about New Yorker Joy seemed ill-matched for an Oxford professor and the beloved writer of The Chronicles of Narnia, yet their minds bonded over their letters. Embarking on the adventure of her life, Joy traveled from America to England and back again, facing heartbreak and poverty, discovering friendship and faith, and against all odds, found a love that even the threat of death couldn't destroy. In this masterful exploration of one of the greatest love stories of modern times, we meet a brilliant writer, a fiercely independent mother, and a passionate woman who changed the life of this respected author and inspired books that still enchant us and change us. Joy lived at a time when women weren't meant to have a voice--and yet her love for Jack gave them both voices they didn't know they had. At once a fascinating historical novel and a glimpse into a writer's life, Becoming Mrs. Lewis is above all a love story--a love of literature and ideas and a love between a husband and wife that, in the end, was not impossible at all. This expanded edition includes a map of Oxford, an expanded discussion guide with more than 20 questions that are perfect for book clubs, a timeline of Jack's and Joy's lives, Joy's (imagined) letter to Jack, 10 things you may not know about Joy Davidman and C. S. Lewis's love story, and a behind-the-scenes essay on the city of Oxford. "Callahan crafts a masterpiece that details the friendship and ultimate romance between the real Davidman and Lewis . . . a magical and literary experience that won't be soon forgotten." --LIBRARY JOURNAL, STARRED review | ". . . an incredible portrait of a complex woman." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, STARRED review | ". . . a deeply moving story about love and loss that is transformative and magical." --PAM JENOFF | "I was swept along, filled with hope, and entirely beguiled." --LISA WINGATE | "This is the book Patti Callahan was born to write. Becoming Mrs. Lewis is a tour de force and the must-read of the season!" --MARY ALICE MONROE

One of the most beloved country music stars of all time gives us the first collection of her lyrics and, in her own words, tells the stories that inspired her most popular songs, such as "Coal Miner's Daughter," "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin'," and, of course, "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl." Loretta Lynn's rags-to-riches story--from her hardscrabble childhood in Butcher Holler, Kentucky, through her marriage to Oliver "Doolittle" Lynn when she was thirteen, to her dramatic rise to the top of the charts--has resonated with countless fans throughout her more than fifty-year career. Now, the anecdotes she shares here give us deeper insight into her life, her collaborations, her influences, and how she pushed the boundaries of country music by discussing issues important to working-class women, even when they were considered taboo. Readers will also get a rare look at the singer's handwritten lyrics and at personal photographs from her childhood, of her family, and of her performing life. Honky Tonk Girl: A Life in Lyrics is one more way for Lynn's fans--those who already love her and those who soon will--to know the heart and mind of this remarkable woman.

A beloved classic—written by a beloved Caldecott winner—is lovelier than ever! Barbara Cooney's story of Alice Rumphius, who longed to travel the world, live in a house by the sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful, has a timeless quality that resonates with each new generation. The countless lupines that bloom along the coast of Maine are the legacy of the real Miss Rumphius, the Lupine Lady, who scattered lupine seeds everywhere she went. Miss Rumphius received the American Book Award in the year of publication. To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of two-time Caldecott winner Barbara Cooney's best-loved book, the illustrations have been reoriginated, going back to the original art to ensure state-of-the-art reproduction of Cooney's exquisite artwork. The art for Miss Rumphius has a permanent home in the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.

Being Mrs Smith always did mean embracing the unexpected, but even Mrs Smith didn’t expect an Amazonian adventure. When the horror of cancer touched the Smiths, they embarked on a journey to ultimate healing and peace. This is the story of their journey. Faced with heart-rending decisions, they accept unmissable opportunities with a courageousness they never knew they had. In the deepest jungle regions, they encounter charlatans and shamans and learn to distinguish between them. Surrendering to the path that is theirs to take, they embrace ancient teachings and strange medicines, and grasp the opportunity to dance with the spirits of sacred plants, including that of Ayahuasca. Far from home, the Smiths learn the true value of family and community as they place their trust in the wisdom of the indigenous elders, in themselves and in each other, and ultimately in Nature herself. Here is a rare story of healing that tells of the melding of souls as Mr and Mrs Smith walk each other home.

A Cape Cod housewife deals secretly with an illness and confronts losing the home that has been the cornerstone of her family life.

Kris Claus has spent her entire life preparing to become the next Santa Claus. After all, she’s Santa’s daughter, so she’s certain to be next in line for the title. She’s gotten the degrees, served as his assistant… nothing can stop her. Well, nothing except her lawyer ex, who is trying to sneak his way into the title by bringing up an archaic gender law that says women can’t be Santa. Steeped in small-town politics and a rivalry for the ages, Kris won’t stop until she’s gotten what she’s fought for her whole life, but she won’t give up who she really is — a proud woman — to reach her dreams. When a letter from a transgender girl down South reminds her of herself as a child, Kris knows exactly what’s at stake, not just for her own dreams, but for the dreams of girls everywhere.

The Bailey School kids resolve to find out once and for all if their teacher is really a vampire after a terrible storm interrupts the class party, in a story that is accompanied by finger-ready glow-in-the-dark monster claws. Original.