Prince Edward inadvertently switches places with Tom Canty, a pauper. While both boys are interested in experiencing life in the other's shoes, they are dismayed by the realities of their new lives. Written before "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" was finished, this tale contains the elements of social criticism that were later to dominate Twain's writings

Originally written to entertain his four young sons, Johann David Wyss based The Swiss Family Robinson on Daniel Defoe's classic shipwreck story, Robinson Crusoe (1719). Upon its initial publication in 1812, The Swiss Family Robinson was received with great enthusiasm not only as a first-rate adventure story, but also as a practical guide to self-sufficiency.

A young woman must choose between family, tradition and an unexpected love in this gripping novel set in Pakistan. Shabanu, daughter of the windswept Cholistan desert, is the youngest of Rahim's four wives. Although her husband adores her, it is only in his rarely inhabited town house, away from the family home, that Shabanu and her daughter can escape the cruelty of the other wives. But there Shabanu falls dangerously in love with another man, and she must decide whether it is right to follow her heart.

The world of Newbery Honor Book "Shabanu" is vividly re-created in this novel of a young Pakistani woman's heartbreaking struggle against the tyranny of custom and ancient law. Shabanu, now a mother at 18, faces daily challenges to her position in her husband's household, even as she plans for her young daughter's education and uncertain future. Then, during a visit to the haveli, their home in the city of Lahore, Shabanu falls in love with Omar, in spite of traditions that forbid their union.

Life is both sweet and cruel to strong-willed young Shabanu, whose home is the windswept Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. The second daughter in a family with no sons, she's been allowed freedoms forbidden to most Muslim girls. But when a tragic encounter with a wealthy and powerful landowner ruins the marriage plans of her older sister, Shabanu is called upon to sacrifice everything she's dreamed of. Should she do what is necessary to uphold her family's honor--or listen to the stirrings of her own heart?