It's the summer of 1935, and in the sleepy Florida Keys, thirteen-year-old Jake Pitney's life is quiet and easy. But all of this changes once Jake begins helping out the town's eccentric fisherman, Sharkey, with work.
On a trip to Key West, Jake is dumbfounded when Sharkey buys a mule named Jewel and her faithful sidekick, a dog named Rudy. Despite their troublemaking ways, Jake grows fond of the mischievous duo and their owner. All the while, Jake is trying to befriend Mara, the new girl in town, whose life has been filled with sadness.
During the Labor Day holiday, an unpredictable Atlantic hurricane hits Jake's hometown with devastating speed and power, reducing the island to shambles. Jake is determined to find his family, along with Sharkey and Mara. But he may need help from some unlikely sources.
From the bestselling author of "Star in the Storm" and "Thunder from the Sea" comes a gripping story of strength and determination in the face of uncontrollable circumstances. Based on actual events, Joan Hiatt Harlow's tale explores friendship, loyalty, and ultimately, hope.

A boy builds a life-changing bond with his dog in this adventure story from the author of Star in the Storm.It's 1929, and thirteen-year-old Tom Campbell has always wanted a real family with a real house and a dog of his very own. Since he was three years old, the only home he has ever known has been the Mission orphanage. When he is sent to live and work with fisherman Enoch and his wife, Tom finally sees his dream within reach. And when he rescues a Newfoundland dog in the middle of a terrifying squall, Tom feels as if both he and the dog, which he names Thunder, have found a place to call home at last. But when Enoch's wife becomes pregnant and it looks like Thunder's owner might be found, Tom's wonderful new world is turned upside down. Will the Murrays still want Tom? And will Tom be forced to give up his beloved Thunder?

England's Beat Goes On repackages John Hiatt's first two offerings from 1974 and 1975 respectively. There are clues in these albums as to what Hiatt would become at his peak with A&M: the excess in his verbiage and exaggeration of his singing dynamic that would make him a caricature of himself on later records (as on the truly awful Randy Newman rip-off album Living a Little, Laughing a Little in 1996, where it seemed like he was caricaturing Newman but he only really made fun of himself. These records waiver between trying a Van Morrison workout on the former and a James Taylor saccharine on the latter. Only Hiatt diehards will even contemplate this, the rest of his more casual fans should be forewarned. ~ Thom Jurek