Mrs. Bird thought, as the Christmas music floated in upon her gentle sleep, that she had slipped into heaven with her new baby, and that angels were bidding them welcome. But the tiny bundle by her side stirred a little, though it was scarcely more than the ruffling of a feather; and she awoke, drew the baby closer, and listened to the voices outside brimming with joy:

"Carol, brothers, carol,
Carol joyfully,
Carol the good tidings,
Carol merrily "

"Why, my baby," whispered Mrs. Bird in soft surprise, "I had forgotten what day it was. You are a little Christmas child, and we will name you 'Carol' -- mother's little Christmas Carol "

Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923), author of such works as "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, " "Penelope's English Experiences, " and "A Village Stradivarius," was one of America's most popular writers of books for young people.

More than a century later, the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 is still America's deadliest disaster. Lauren Tarshis's story of one child surviving the horrible event churns with page-turning action and bold hope. The city of Galveston, Texas, was booming. Perched on an island off the southern coast of Texas, Galveston had been founded in the 1830s. By 1900, it was Texas's richest and most important city. Boats loaded up with American cotton and wheat steamed from Galveston to countries around the world. Arriving ships were crowded with immigrants. The streets, paved with crushed oyster shells, sparkled like they'd been sprinkled with diamonds. True, this glittering city was prone to flooding. But just a few years before, a weather forecaster had said the idea of a hurricane striking Galveston was absurd. So when a storm started brewing on September 8, 1900, no one believed it would be any worse than previous storms. They gathered on the beach to cheer on the wild waves. But what started as entertainment soon turned into a nightmare as those wild waves crashed into the city. By morning, hundreds of homes were destroyed. Eight thousand people were dead. The city had all but disappeared, In this thrilling installment of Lauren Tarshis's New York Times bestselling I Survived series, one child finds safety only to head back into the treacherous waters to make sure his neighbors are safe.

"Powerful and unsettling. . . . As memorable an introduction to the subject as The Diary of Anne Frank." --USA Today Berlin, 1942: When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move to a new house far, far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people in the distance. But Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different from his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences. From the Hardcover edition.

The third book in the personal and moving coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of the First World War. Winter, 1916. Ellie is determined to leave tiny Endstone village and follow her dream of becoming a nurse. But leaving home and starting work in the city hospital also means leaving behind her first-love and childhood friend, Jack. They promise to make it work, but with Ellie's time swallowed up by the chaos of a wartime hospital, and with the charms of an exciting young foreign soldier to keep her company, do Ellie and Jack stand any chance of staying together as their lives move ever further apart?

The first in a dazzling, commercial, historical adventure series set in the extravagant and deadly world of the French Revolution. A whirlwind of action, science and magic reveals, with a diverse cast of fearless heroines, a band of rebels like no other. Camille, a revolutionary's daughter, leads a band of outcasts - a runaway girl, a deserter, an aristocrat in hiding. As the Battalion des Morts they cheat death, saving those about to meet a bloody end at the blade of Madame La Guillotine. But their latest rescue is not what she seems. The girl's no aristocrat, but her dark and disturbing powers means both the Royalists and the Revolutionaries want her. But who and what is she? In a fast and furious story full of the glamour and excesses, intrigue and deception of these dangerous days, no one can be trusted, everyone is to be feared. As Camille learns the truth, she's forced to choose between loyalty to those she loves and the future.

This second book in the continuing story of Parthian brother and sister Larius and Kyra takes the reader to a place called Seres. Larius is once again caught up in court intrigue, and Kyra falls in love at last and marries. They are in another culture and must learn another language and ways that are strange and different from their own. Just when they think they are safe, their past comes back to haunt them. Will Larius and Kyra ever find peace? Will they be able to remain happily ever after in Seres? Or will their sanctuary be denied and their hopes and dreams destroyed? Read this captivating story set in first century AD ancient China and follow Larius and Kyra in their quest for sanctuary.

After a few months of being the "new kid" in Cypress City, Texas, Jimmy Stringer thinks he's finally fitting in. Then, his parents start arguing and can't seem to stop. Next thing, his dad, a captain in the Air Force, up and disappears on the night of the Summer Solstice. Rumors abound. Is Captain Stringer AWOL? Did he desert? Jimmy knows better, but he doesn't know where his dad has gone or why he didn't leave a note or some sign, if not for him, at least for his mom. Relying on the help of his two buddies, Lupe and Billy Ray, Jimmy makes it through a tough West Texas summer. Finally, school starts again. Walking home from a high school football game on the Autumnal Equinox, Jimmy sees an unusual shooting star appear to land behind a neighbor's house. The next day, he watches that neighbor's little Chihuahua, Elmer, explode in Mr. Cadwallader's barbershop. Nothing is at it should be, but something tells Jimmy it's all related to his dad disappearing, and, just maybe, he and his friends can put it together and get his dad back.

Master James, a Missouri farmer during the 1850s, wants to make sure his slaves had a better life upon his death. So when he passes away, fourteen-year-old Joe, his pap, and the rest of the family are set free.

Stepping in to help, the master's brother, Doc, travels with the freed family to Iowa and lets them work on land that he owns, with the promise that one day it will be their own. But it's not long before the family learns that even though they have gained their freedom, they have not earned respect. They are taunted, harassed, and threatened.

As his family struggles to maintain dignity, young Joe learns from Doc about a plan for an Underground Railroad, which would help enslaved blacks make their way north to the free states. Joe knows that he must help others fight for the freedom, however imperfect, that he's had the privilege of experiencing firsthand. But in doing so, he also knows he risks his very life.

As Joe comes of age, he teams up with abolitionist preacher John Brown and others to organize the Underground Railroad in Iowa, which eventually helps hundreds, and perhaps thousands, of slaves on their way to freedom.