Rosemary Wells ~ October 14

A young Cuban immigrant eases his homesickness by re-creating the city of Havana in a poignant tale that will resonate with readers today.

Havana is alive with color, music, and glamour, and he itches to capture it on paper. When the Communist Party takes over the Cuban government, Dino’s family must move to New York, where the lonely boy pours his heart into making a model of Havana’s archways and balconies, buildings and streets. Wells composes a tender ode to an immigrant boy who grew up to be a U.S. architect, while Ferguson’s paintings capture two vibrant cities as they were half a century ago.

Ages 8 & up.

When the Civil War breaks out, life in the South is transformed and nothing remains the same. India Moody must summon the courage she didn't know she had to plunge into one of the war's most tragic and terrifying events - the Battle of Antietam, known in the South as Sharpsburg - in order to get medicine to her desperately sick father. As she struggles for survival during the Union's brutal occupation, India gets an education in love and loss, the senseless devastation of war, and the triumph of hope in the face of despair.

Ages 12 & up.