Like The Willow Tree

Two-time Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry brings a brand-new, beautiful diary to the Dear America series!Suddenly orphaned by the Spanish flu epidemic in the fall of 1918, eleven-year-old Lydia Pierce and her fourteen-year-old brother, Daniel, of Portland, Maine, are taken by their uncle to be raised in the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake. Thrust into the Shakers' unfamiliar way of life, Lydia must grapple with a new world that is nothing like the one she used to know.Now separated from her beloved brother, for men and women do not mix in this community, Lydia must adjust to many changes. But in time, and with her courageous spirit, she learns to find the joy in life again.

A willow tree, soft and flowy on the outside, unbreakable and strong on the inside, left to brave the lashings and extremities of wind and storm but never quite breaking Hanako Ishigaki was just 9 years old when her father decided to uproot the family from traditional and beautiful Kyoto and migrate to Hawaii. "You are not uprooting this family to some strange outlandish place where we will have to start all over again and maybe never be accepted," his wife ranted. "Why, Kazuo? Why? We are Japanese and we should live here till the day we die." But this was one time Kazuo Ishigaki refused to budge. We follow Hanako's arduous journey to Hawaii on a passenger liner and the shock of finding no one waiting for them there. By a sheer stroke of luck, if one could call it that, the Ishigaki family, used to much better times and lives, ended up in Kauia Island in a Japanese settlement called Furusato to work in a sugar plantation alongside thousands of Japanese migrants. The book describes the colorful lives of the Japanese migrant community in Hawaii in the eyes of the young Hanako and the conflict of two cultures, east and west. How eventually did Hanako end up in the big city, Honolulu, where she was to meet James Robertson and start a love affair that was to span and survive 35 years of separation, war and betrayals to end one cold afternoon in a sterile hospital room where the loose ends of two people's lives and passion finally came together to find closure. And then, one day, at the peak of the post Pearl Harbor backlash on Japanese Americans, when Hanako thought that living behind barbed wires at the Japanese American internment camp of Manzaner, they had hit rock bottom, there was that dreaded knock on the front door and a soldier served a deportation order to Japan on them..... This story is told against a gripping backdrop of war and the horrors and humiliations of the Japanese American war internment camps following Pearl Harbor. But even in the most dire and hopeless circumstances people can dream and Hanako and her best friend, Melanie Tanaka dreamt of pitching their unusual talent in fashion designing into the world of haute couture and high fashion. The odds against them were as unscalable as Mount Fuji in winter but dreams were free.... As the overcrowded ship carrying hundreds of deportees labeled "enemy aliens" approached the shores of Japan, Hanako told herself firmly. "We're going to be all right here, I'm sure of that!" Was she right? Or would things get really bad before they became better? So many things happened to shake and test the strength of this willow tree that readers may ask how did she continue to get up after each blow? This book is based on the true story of the turbulent life of Hanako Ishigaki as she was tossed around by the winds of migration, war internment camps and an incredibly unlikely and impossible love affair woven into it to add poignance to a story of great courage and determination to survive and succeed against all odds. How will it end?

A feel-good love story in a gorgeous country village, perfect for fans of Milly Johnson and Heidi Swain. Previously published as A House To Mend a Broken Heart. Willow Tree Hall has been the proud ancestral home of the Cranley family for centuries. But now the house is falling apart, and the elderly Earl is growing too frail to manage it himself. Annie Rogers is looking for a job that will allow her to disappear. The role of live-in housekeeper to Arthur, Earl of Cranley, and his reluctant heir, Sam Harris, is just perfect. How hard can it be to run a household? But with no qualifications, and Sam criticising her at every turn, Annie suddenly finds herself completely out of her depth. But it turns out that Sam and Annie have more in common than they think. Both of them are running from their past. And both of them have fallen under the spell of Sam's beautiful, once-grand home. Maybe, just maybe, together they can save Willow Tree Hall... and bring each other back to life at the same time. What readers are saying about Willow Tree Hall: 'A sympathetically heart-warming story about family, loyalty, love and friendship... I look forward to reading more in the series' Donna Orrock, NetGalley. 'I absolutely adored this book. Felt like a proper fairytale' Natasha Potter, NetGalley. 'A wonderful, enchanting story... I am very much looking forward to reading further stories in this series' Lis Beasley, NetGalley. 'A beautiful and exquisite read. I couldn't put it down. Loved it' Karen Whittard, NetGalley. 'A delightful book of new beginnings and hope, I really enjoyed this one!' Books, Books and More Books. 'I never knew that a book had the power to make me feel calm. Until now. Not only is A House to Mend a Broken Heart true to its title storyline wise, for the duration of this novel it became A Story to Soothe a Painful Body' Kaisha Holloway, Netgalley. 'Delightful!... A well written, relaxing, and thoroughly enjoyable read' Kathleen Gray, NetGalley. 'A brilliant, uplifting mix of romance, drama and fun. Recommended!' Agi Klar, NetGalley. 'Full of warmth it really is a delightful read!' Rae Reads.

A NEW emphasis IN THIS edition of Spark the Brain, Ignite the Pen is writing to learn in the content areas. This edition of the work first published in 2006 includes a collection of classroom-tested quick writes designed to assist students in thinking and writing about significant content in the disciplines. Contributors to the book teach a wide array of grade levels (K through college) and subject areas e.g., English, social studies, math, science and health), and the quick writes included in the book are ideal for use in a variety of classroom subjects and settings. Given the current research validating the impact of using writing tasks to learn content, this volume should be useful to a wide range of teachers, teacher educators, and professional development trainers K-12.

Developed principally for use in introductory courses in the study of religious traditions in the East, this anthology offers a selection of readings from primary texts of India, China and Japan. The selections are arranged both chronologically and thematically within religious traditions and include readings from Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism (including Tibetan Buddhism), Sikhism, Early Chinese thought, Confuciansiim, Taoism, Mao Tse Tung, Shintoism, and Japan’s new religions (Tenrikyo and Sokka Gakkai). Throughout the anthology, an effort has been made to present more than the usual short excerpts. As much as possible larger excerpts have been included to give students a better sense of significant developments within traditions. As well, doctrinal elements have been combined with story to make these traditions more than museum pieces for students.

Anton Chekhov’s only collection of crime and mystery stories. Considered one of the greatest dramatists of all time, Anton Chekhov began his literary career as a crime and mystery writer. Scattered throughout periodicals and literary journals from 1880-1890, these early psychological suspense stories provide a fresh look into Chekhov’s literary heritage and his formative years as a writer. In stories like "A Night in the Cemetery," "Night of Horror," and "Murder," not only will Chekhov’s dark humor and twisted crimes satisfy even the most hardboiled of mystery fans, readers will again appreciate the penetrating, absurdist insight into the human condition that only Chekhov can bring. Whether it is the death of a young amateur playwright at the hands of an editor who hates bad writing, or a drunken civil servant who ends up trapped in a graveyard, these stories overflow with the unforgettable characters and unique sensibility that continue to make Chekhov one of the most fascinating figures in literature.

Romance blossoms under the stars in this feelgood love story for fans of Milly Johnson and Heidi Swain. Lily Harper is an events organiser, but her neat, ordered world has just exploded. First she lost her job, then she lost her fiancé. Her five-year plan is looking increasingly shaky. Lost and lonely, Lily heads home to her childhood village, and accepts the position of live-in housekeeper at the grand but welcoming Willow Tree Hall. It's not exactly her dream job – Lily is more used to arranging parties than pantries – but at least she's working. Her first task is to arrange the Willow Tree Hall summer fete. Lily is in her element, writing to-do lists and organising bunting and baking – until her old flame Jack Carter turns up in the village. Lily hasn't seen Jack in over ten years, when he sped off on his motorbike, taking with him the pieces of her broken heart. Lily vowed she would never forgive him. But as Willow Tree Hall weaves its magic, Lily finds she might just give Jack a second chance after all... Full of warmth, tears, love and laughter, this is a gripping romance for fans of Heidi Swain and Philippa Ashley. What readers are saying about Willow Tree Hall: 'A sympathetically heart-warming story about family, loyalty, love and friendship... I look forward to reading more in the series' Donna Orrock, NetGalley. 'I absolutely adored this book. Felt like a proper fairytale' Natasha Potter, NetGalley. 'A wonderful, enchanting story... I am very much looking forward to reading further stories in this series' Lis Beasley, NetGalley. 'A beautiful and exquisite read. I couldn't put it down. Loved it' Karen Whittard, NetGalley. 'A delightful book of new beginnings and hope, I really enjoyed this one!' Books, Books and More Books. 'I never knew that a book had the power to make me feel calm. Until now. Not only is A House to Mend a Broken Heart true to its title storyline wise, for the duration of this novel it became A Story to Soothe a Painful Body' Kaisha Holloway, Netgalley. 'Delightful!... A well written, relaxing, and thoroughly enjoyable read' Kathleen Gray, NetGalley. 'A brilliant, uplifting mix of romance, drama and fun. Recommended!' Agi Klar, NetGalley. 'Full of warmth it really is a delightful read!' Rae Reads.