Pura Belpre Award winner Yamile Saied Mendez welcomes readers back to the ranch in the fourth installment of Horse Country! Carolina Aguasvivas's oldest friend, Vida Jones Castillo, has never been interested in riding horses -- until now! Carolina is thrilled for her BFF to join Paradise Ranch, along with new sponsorship student Brielle Stuart. The barn is a full, happy house! But the girls' perfect summer falls apart when they find out that one of the horses might be sold -- Carolina's favorite riding buddy, Shadow. Can Carolina and her friends save her beloved horse... and the future of the Unbridled Dreams program?

Welcome to Paradise Ranch, where everyone can get a second chance. Carolina Aguasvivas grew up on Paradise Ranch, which she knows down to every last pony. But things are sure to change when the new owner's daughter, Chelsie Sanchez, sweeps in with an attitude and a feisty Thoroughbred named Velvet. The mare is skittish, headstrong, and hurt -- and Carolina is determined to ride her. Chelsie, who considers herself too good to clean stalls, certainly doesn't seem like a real horse girl. Caro knows she's the only one who can help Velvet recover, and she's ready to prove it -- no matter what it takes. The girls may discover they have more in common than they think... including a passion for bringing the healing power of horses to every kid.

Welcome back to Paradise Ranch, where everyone can get a second chance, in this third installment of the Horse Country series by Pura Belpre Award-winning author Yamile Saied Mendez. Carolina Aguasvivas knows just what to do with Paradise Ranch's new sponsored student, Rockwell Richards. He's clearly a perfect match for a gentle giant of a horse named Napoleon, as they both have mysterious pasts. Carolina can't wait to learn everything she can about the cute and thoughtful new boy...but Rockwell doesn't seem to appreciate her snooping -- or admiration. When the barn is threatened by local wildfires, can he and Caro put everything aside and help keep the horses safe?

A heartwarming and authentic immigration story about a stray dog, the power of music, and celebrating old traditions along with new beginnings, by Pura Belpre Award-winning author Yamile Saied Mendez. Maria Emilia's life turns upside-down when she and her family immigrate from Argentina to the US. How can she make new friends when simply speaking English all day is exhausting? Luckily, she has the company of a stray dog in the neighborhood, who happens to look and act just like her beloved pet cat back home. Eventually, it turns out the pup isn't a stray after all -- she belongs to Maria Emilia's new neighbor, Donovan. In order to spend more time with the dog (who totally isn't her reincarnated cat... right?), she agrees to sing in Donovan's band. But can Emilia find her new voice without losing herself?

In No Place Like Home, Linda Hasselstrom ponders the changing nature of community in the modern West, where old family ranches are being turned into subdivisions and historic towns are evolving into mean, congested cities. Her scrutiny, like her life, moves back and forth between her ranch on the South Dakota prairie and her house in an old neighborhood at the edge of downtown Cheyenne, Wyoming. The vignettes that form the foundation of her consideration are drawn from the communities she has known during her life in the West, reflecting on how they have grown, thrived, failed, and changed, and highlighting the people and decisions that shaped them. Hasselstrom’s ruminations are both intensely personal and universal. She laments the disappearance of the old prairie ranches and the rural sense of community and mutual responsibility that sustained them, but she also discovers that a spirit of community can be found in unlikely places and among unlikely people. The book defines her idea of how a true community should work, and the kind of place she wants to live in. Her voice is unique and honest, both compassionate and cranky, full of love for the harsh, hauntingly beautiful short-grass prairie that is her home, and rich in understanding of the intricacies of the natural world around her and the infinite potentials of human commitment, hope, and greed. For anyone curious about the state of the contemporary West, Hasselstrom offers a report from the front, where nature and human aspirations are often at odds, and where the concepts of community and mutual responsibility are being redefined.

This stunning book brings together two subjects that millions keep close to their hearts: country music and horses. With heartwarming stories set in a must-have four- color design, Horse Country visits the biggest stars from the Grand Ole Opry and beyond, inviting readers into the private world they share with their beloved horses. Horses have always been the symbol of the cowboy, and many of the stars featured here - both legends and today's hottest stars, from George Jones, Charlie Daniels, Lynn Anderson, Tanya Tucker, Brad Paisley, and Willie Nelson to Hal Ketchum, Chris Cagle, Eddie Montgomery, and Todd Fritsch - grew up dreaming of being cowboys (or cowgirls). Today, horses are their escape from the chaos of the world. Based on exclusive interviews, each story - funny, touching, and uplifting - is accompanied by personal photos, including some of each artist with his or her horse.

Jerri Garretson lived a total of 33 years in Manhattan, Kansas, in three periods. This book features 55 topics about life in the years she was growing up there, plus 13 mini-biographies of teachers and neighbors that were important in her life. It is illustrated with over 800 photos of people, places, and events, and even everyday objects most of us no longer use. To assist readers unfamiliar with Manhattan, she has included maps, and to anchor local events to the nation and the world, there is a timeline. The book is thoroughly indexed. Though many dates and events are mentioned, it is not a history of the city, but rather an entertaining account about the way of life in that time and place. Please be aware that this is a 298 page, heavily illustrated book in the same fixed format as the printed book. As such, it is a download of about large download of approximately 227 MB and will take much longer to download than a novel in flowing format that has no illustrations.

The long-anticipated sequel to Tanuja Desai Hidier's groundbreaking BORN CONFUSED! Dimple Lala thought that growing up would give her all the answers, but instead she has more questions than ever. Her boyfriend is distant, her classmates are predictable, and a blue mood has settled around the edges of everything she does.It's time for a change, and a change is just what Dimple is going to get - of scenery, of cultures, of mind. She thinks she's heading to Bombay for a family wedding - but really she is plunging into the unexpected, the unmapped, and the uncontrollable. The land of her parents and ancestors has a lot to reveal to her - for every choice we make can crescendo into a journey, every ending can turn into a beginning, and each person we meet can show us something new about ourselves. Tanuja Desai Hidier's BORN CONFUSED gave voice to a new multicultural generation. Now, Bombay Blues explores everything this generation faces today, with a heady mix of uncertainty and determination, despair and inspiration, haunting loss and revelatory love.