jahnke's blog

Amen McBee, the youngest of five sisters, gobbles up words the way other children gobble up sweets.  She couldn't be more different from her twin sisters Arabella and Annabella---called the Bellas.  The mischievous Bellas constantly frighten Amen with stories about Mr. Tominski---the old recluse who lives in the woods nearby and mysteriously tends to a flock of doves.  The Bellas insist that Mr.

Natalie's best friend, Zoe, is sure that the novel Natalie's written is good enough to be published.  But how can a 12 year old girl publish a book?  Natalie's mother is an editor for a big children's publisher, but Natalie doesn't want to ask for any favors.

Life isn't like the movies, and eleven-year-old Turtle is no Shirley Temple.  She's smart and tough and has seen enough of the world not to expect a Hollywood ending.  After all, it's 1935, and jobs and money and sometimes even dreams are scarce.  So when Turtle's mama gets a job housekeeping for a lady who doesn't like kids, Turtle says goodbye without a tear and heads off to Key West, Florida, to stay with relatives she has never met.  Florida is like nothing Turtle has ever seen.  It's hot and strange, full of ragtag boy cousins, family secrets, and even buried treasure!  Before she know

Her plan to help the Resistance soldier was unraveling.  She was the fool, and not only had she put herself in danger, but she now risked her brother's life and the soldier's too.

The year is 1942, and Norway is under Nazi occupation.  Twelve-year-old Marit has decided to take action, decided not to heed her grandfather's warnings.  But will her plan work?  Can she really complete her part of this secret code?  And even if she can, would it make any difference to the Resistance?