The Red Shoe

There was once a poor little girl called Karen. In summer, she walked barefoot and in winter, she wore clogs that hurt her feet. She had no choice, it was all she had. Dame Shoemaker wanted to help her and sewed, as best she could, a pair of red shoes. When she wore them for the first time, Karen’s life took an unexpected turn. Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist. Celebrated for children’s literature, his most cherished fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Match Girl". His books have been translated into every living language, and today there is no child or adult that has not met Andersen's whimsical characters. His fairy tales have been adapted to stage and screen countless times, most notably by Disney with the animated films "The Little Mermaid" in 1989 and "Frozen", which is loosely based on "The Snow Queen", in 2013. Thanks to Andersen's contribution to children's literature, his birth date, April 2, is celebrated as International Children's Book Day.

From one of Australia's finest writers for young people comes this evocative novel juxtaposing the inner life of three girls, the undercurrents of their parents' marriage and the political dramas of the adult world.

Red shoes glowing--Perched on a pedestal in the shop windowas if on a throne."I want those, Nana," Malika says, as they pass the shop."We'll see," Nana says with a wink. "Looks like you could use a new pair." Malika is delighted when Nana surprises her with a beautiful new pair of red shoes! And with a click-clack-click and a swish, swish, swish, Malika wears her wonderful new shoes everywhere she goes. But one day, the shoes begin to pinch Malika's toes. And alas, they don't let her forget that her feet have grown! Soon Malika and Nana are off to the Rare Finds Resale Shop, where the shoes can be resold -- so somebody else can enjoy them!Who will be the next to wear the red shoes? Malika wonders.Then Inna Ziya buys the shoes, and readers follow the shoes all the way across the world to Ghana in Africa, where Amina, another little girl, who has fasted her first time for Ramadan is about to get an amazing gift!Karen English and Ebony Glenn have crafted a satisfying and heartwarming story about a pair of shoes, two girls, and a connection they share across continents.

Jessica Summers, a young woman living on an island north of Seattle, wakes up to find a mermaid sitting on the dock behind her house. Seemingly unconnected, a classmate of Jessica goes missing the very next day.Are the mermaid's intentions pure?It's up to Jessica and her friends to not only search for Rachel but to also investigate why Cheryn chose to befriend Jessica and discover Cheryn's intentions. All of this occurs while Jessica is faced with the stress of a promotion and a father who feels he was responsible for the end of his marriage.

After a school bus attack in Gaza a newspaper photographer grabs his camera and rushes to the nearest clinic, where he is struck by the similarities between the injured boy and his nephew. A sophisticated picture book.

Funny, tough-minded and tender, this is the story of Matilda and her two sisters growing up in Sydney, Australia, in the early 1950s. Their father is mentally unstable and largely absent, their mother is possibly in the thrall of his brother, and a headline-making Russian spy defection is taking place next door. Punctuated by the headlines of the times, The Red Shoe depicts how the large events of the world can impinge on ordinary lives. This is a novel to savor by one of Australia's most gifted writers for young people. "Dubosarsky proves masterful in conjuring and connecting images." - Publishers Weekly

The Red Shoe is the first book in a series involving special investigator Robert H. and his canine companion, Tisza. Someone is missing, and Robert H. has to find them before its too late. Two romances are ongoing, and they are headed in two different directions. There is, of course, a surprise ending. You dont want to miss the twists and turns and especially how it all works out. This book, as well as the series, has received rave reviews. And you are sure to enjoy the story as well as the characters.