Right Where We Belong

“Once you visit Silver Springs, you’ll never want to leave.”—Robyn Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author Can you rebuild your life when you’ve got nothing left to lose? Savanna Gray needs a do-over. Her “perfect” life unraveled when, to her absolute shock, her husband was arrested for attacking three women. With her divorce settled, she takes her two children to Silver Springs to seek refuge between the walls of a farmhouse her late father had planned to renovate. It needs a little TLC, but she’s eager to take control of something. Gavin Turner understands the struggle of starting over. Abandoned at a gas station when he was five, it wasn’t until he landed at New Horizons Boys Ranch as a teen that he finally found some peace. He steps up when Savanna needs help fixing things—even when those things go beyond the farmhouse. Despite an escalating attraction to Gavin, Savanna keeps her distance. She trusted her ex, who had a similarly tragic background, and is unwilling to repeat her past mistakes. But it’s hard to resist a man whose heart is as capable as his hands… “Brenda Novak doesn’t just write fabulous stories, she writes keepers.”—Susan Mallery, #1 New York Times bestselling author Don’t miss Brenda Novak’s latest book, When I Found You!

A leading expert shows how, by learning from refugee teachers and students, we can create for displaced childrenÑand indeed all childrenÑbetter schooling and brighter futures. Half of the worldÕs 26 million refugees are children. Their formal education is disrupted, and their lives are too often dominated by exclusion and uncertainty about what the future holds. Even kids who have the opportunity to attend school face enormous challenges, as they struggle to integrate into unfamiliar societies and educational environments. In Right Where We Belong, Sarah Dryden-Peterson discovers that, where governments and international agencies have been stymied, refugee teachers and students themselves are leading. From open-air classrooms in Uganda to the hallways of high schools in Maine, new visions for refugee education are emerging. Dryden-Peterson introduces us to people like JacquesÑa teacher who created a school for his fellow Congolese refugees in defiance of local lawsÑand Hassan, a Somali refugee navigating the social world of the American teenager. Drawing on more than 600 interviews in twenty-three countries, Dryden-Peterson shows how teachers and students are experimenting with flexible forms of learning. Rather than adopt the unrealistic notion that all will soon return to Ònormal,Ó these schools embrace unfamiliarity, develop studentsÕ adaptiveness, and demonstrate how children, teachers, and community members can build supportive relationships across lines of difference. It turns out that policymakers, activists, and educators have a lot to learn from displaced children and teachers. Their stories point the way to better futures for refugee students and inspire us to reimagine education broadly, so that children everywhere are better prepared to thrive in a diverse and unpredictable world.

The author of several blockbuster novels, Emily Giffin's Where We Belong delivers an unforgettable story of two women, the families that make them who they are, and the longing, loyalty and love that binds them together Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian's perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her. For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.

The "Today" co-anchor shares the inspiring stories of people who found their life's purpose in unexpected ways, from a Wall Street investment banker-turned-minister to a blue-collar woman who attended Harvard Medical School.

*** The wonderful new novel from the acclaimed author of The Truths and Triumphs of Grace Atherton *** 'Incredibly moving and atmospheric' Beth O'Leary 'Absorbing and original' Katie Fforde 'Simply stunning' Fionnuala Kearney 'Utterly enchanting' Heidi Swain One summer. One house. One family learning to love again. Cate Morris and her son, Leo, are homeless, adrift. They've packed up the boxes from their London home, said goodbye to friends and colleagues, and now they are on their way to 'Hatters Museum of the Wide Wide World - to stay just for the summer. Cate doesn't want to be there, in Richard's family home without Richard to guide her any more. And she knows for sure that Araminta, the retainer of the collection of dusty objects and stuffed animals, has taken against them. But they have nowhere else to go. They have to make the best of it. But Richard hasn't told Cate the truth about his family's history. And something about the house starts to work its way under her skin. Can she really walk away, once she knows the truth? Praise for Anstey Harris 'Glorious on so many levels' A J Pearce 'Full of hope and charm' Libby Page 'Brilliantly and movingly written' Dorothy Koomson 'Elegant and uplifting . . . I was both engrossed in and moved by this fabulous debut' Catherine Isaac 'A moving, beautifully written, uplifting debut about mending broken hearts through friendship. The twists and turns make it impossible to put down' Sarah J. Harris 'What a total joy!' Fanny Blake

After her father's third divorce, seventeen-year-old Natalia decides to move with her stepmother, Maureen, from Spain to Florida to learn more of Maureen's faith and to discover who she is away from her father's expectations. Includes reading group guide.

Fans of Mark Haddon, Mitch Albom and Alice Sebold will love this remarkable, moving story about family and the many forms this can take by Richard & Judy bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde. 'A smashing read and left me feeling so positive about human nature' -- ***** Reader review 'An absolute joy to read' -- ***** Reader review 'Beautifully written' -- ***** Reader review 'Fantastic' -- ***** Reader review 'Catherine, you've done it again. Another awesome read that will stay with me' -- ***** Reader review 'A page-turner' -- ***** Reader review ********************************************************************************************************* WHAT IF THE FAMILY YOU NEED ISN'T YOUR OWN? Fourteen-year-old Angie and her mum are on the brink of homelessness... again. The problem is her little sister, Sophie. Sophie has a form of autism, and a tendency to shriek. Home never seems to last long. Until they move in with Aunt Vi, across the fence from a huge Great Dane. Sophie falls in love, and begins to imitate the dog's calm nature. The shrieking stops. Everyone relaxes. Until Paul, the dog's grumpy, socially isolated owner, moves away. Much to Angie's humiliation, her mum thinks they can follow Paul and his dog. Once reunited, despite a huge age gap, Angie and Paul form the closest friendship either has known. But Angie risks everything to help Paul's dream come true, even their friendship and her one chance at a real home - the only thing she's dreamed of since her father was killed. A place she won't be thrown out of. A place she can feel she belongs.

An extraordinarily beautiful novel-in-verse, this important debut weaves a dramatic immigrant story together with Pilipino mythology to create something wholly new. Stella and Luna know that their mama, Elsie, came from the Philippines when she was a child, but they don't know much else. So one night they ask her to tell them her story. As they get ready for bed, their mama spins two tales: that of her youth as a strong-willed middle child and immigrant; and that of the young life of Mayari, the mythical daughter of a god. Both are tales of sisterhood and motherhood, and of the difficult experience of trying to fit into a new culture, and having to fight for a home and acceptance. Glorious and layered, this is a portrait of family and strength for the ages.