A Storm Of Strawberries

Darby loves summer on her family's strawberry farm - but is the weather about to turn? A UK nomination for IBBY's List of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities 2019 Darby is twelve and has Down's syndrome. Her favourite things are music, chocolate, and her big sister Kaydee. It's nearly time for the annual chocolate hunt, the highlight of Darby's year, but Kaydee has brought a friend home for the weekend. Suddenly both the chocolate hunt and her favourite person are in danger of slipping away... and to make things worse, the family's strawberry farm is hit by a tornado. When the storm clears, what will be left? And can Darby mend what's been broken when nobody will listen to her? A warm, thoughtful and empathetic novel from acclaimed author Jo Cotterill.

Twelve-year-old Darby loves living on her family's strawberry farm. But a big storm is coming, and it threatens to destroy everything she and her family hold dear. Darby is twelve years old and has Down syndrome. Her favorite things are music, chocolate, and her big sister Kaydee. It's a big weekend for Darby. It's time for their annual chocolate hunt, and it's all she can think about. Well, that and spending time with her big sister. But this year Kaydee's friend Lissa is staying over for the weekend, and she seems to be stealing all of Kaydee's attention. And to make things worse, the strawberry farm is hit by a tornado. Suddenly, it's as though both the chocolate hunt and her sister are slipping away from her. Although the family is prepared for the tornado, they aren't prepared for the storm of emotions that surface when a truth is brought to light. With tension rising within the family, can Darby mend what's been broken when it seems like no one is listening to her? A Storm of Strawberries is a warm, thoughtful, and empathetic novel from acclaimed author Jo Cotterill.

A loud clap of thunder booms, and rattles the windows of Grandma's old farmhouse. "This is Thunder Cake baking weather," calls Grandma, as she and her granddaughter hurry to gather the ingredients around the farm. A real Thunder Cake must reach the oven before the storm arrives. But the list of ingredients is long and not easy to find . . . and the storm is coming closer all the time! Reaching once again into her rich childhood experience, Patricia Polacco tells the memorable story of how her grandma--her Babushka--helped her overcome her fear of thunder when she was a little girl. Ms. Polacco's vivid memories of her grandmother's endearing answer to a child's fear, accompanied by her bright folk-art illustrations, turn a frightening thunderstorm into an adventure and ultimately . . . a celebration! Whether the first clap of thunder finds you buried under the bedcovers or happily anticipating the coming storm, Thunder Cake is a story that will bring new meaning and possibility to the excitement of a thunderstorm.

Caio Fernando Abreu is one of those authors who is picked up by every generation... In these surreal and gripping stories about desire, tyranny, fear, and love, one of Brazil’s greatest queer writers appears in English for the first time In 18 daring, scheming stories filled with tension and intimacy, Caio Fernando Abreu navigates a Brazil transformed by the AIDS epidemic and stifling military dictatorship of the 80s. Tenderly suspended between fear and longing, Abreu’s characters grasp for connection: A man speckled with Carnival glitter crosses a crowded dance floor and seeks the warmth and beauty of another body. A budding office friendship between two young men turns into a surprising love, “a strange and secret harmony." One man desires another but fears a clumsy word or gesture might tear their plot to pieces. Abreu writes the stories of people whose intimate lives are on the verge of imploding at all times. Even simple gestures—a salvaged cigarette, a knock on the door from the hazy downpour of a dream, a tight-lipped smile—are precarious offerings. Junkies, failed revolutionaries, poets, and conflicted artists face threats at every turn. But, inwardly ferocious and secretly resilient, they heal. In these stories there is luminous memory and decay, and beauty on the horizon. Translated by Bruna Dantas Lobato, currently an Iowa Arts Fellow and MFA candidate in Literary Translation at the University of Iowa.

Being struck by lightning and getting an amazing superpower wasn't how Holly thought that her day would go. But now that it's happened, she might as well make the most of it . . . if only she could figure out how to stop blowing everything up!

The Newbery Medal–winning childhood classic of life on a Florida farm—part of the Regional series from the author of the Mr. Small picture books. Birdie and her family are trying to build a farm in Florida. But it’s not easy with the heat, droughts, and cold snaps—and neighbors that don’t believe in fences. But Birdie won’t give up on her dream of strawberries, and her family won’t let those Slaters drive them from their home! This Newberry Medal–winning novel presents a realistic picture of life on the Florida frontier. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Lois Lenski including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author’s estate.

When Abbey Sutton left her home in the wild Wyoming frontier, she expected to find a civilized, subdued life as a governess back East. But a storm was brewing over the quaint clapboard houses and cobblestone streets of Nantucket Island. And the darkest cloud of suspicion hung over Jake Ross, the rugged lighthouse keeper with sun-bleached hair and a notorious past. The locals called him a criminal—a thieving smuggler—but Abbey scorned their accusations. Could a criminal’s embrace melt away a woman’s doubts? Would a thief make and impassioned plea for justice in the young American colonies? As the tempest began to roar, its blustery squall threatened the lives of every man, woman, and child on the island. Abbey found herself face to face with an unscrupulous murderer…and the chilling blade of a slave trader’s knife. If the rumors were true, Jake was tied to these nefarious cutthroats. Even Abbey could see he was no stranger to death, violence and the scent of danger. But hero or hellion, he was her soul-mate, the man she would follow to the ends of the earth, and smack into the eye of this sudden storm.

Actor and longtime educational advocate LeVar Burton has had more than 30 years' experience speaking directly to children about grown-up situations, and The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm is a story that helps ease the fears and worries of a young childMica Mouse lost her house in a terrible storm, and now she trembles when the weather turns rough. She's not so different from other children who've experienced something very disturbing in their life or heard about tragic or frightening events in the news. Mica's father tells her the story of a brave blue rhinoceros who learns how to get through rough times with friendship, helpers, love, and by "feeling your feelings." LeVar Burton has poured a lifetime of experience storytelling to children into The Rhino Who Swallowed a Storm, and the result is more than a book—it's a manual for finding the light in the midst of dark times.

Engage Literacy is the new reading scheme from Raintree that introduces engaging and contemporary content to motivate and support early readers while providing a reliable and instructional framework. All titles are precisely levelled, with new vocabulary being introduced and reinforced throughout the levels. This is a level 21 fiction title in the Gold book band level.