*Mojave

Diane Siebert

Place, Relationships, Region

This epic poem is great for reading out loud. The author uses the text and illustrations to describe the beauty of the Mojave desert and the story of its people's history.

**Morning Girl

Michael Dorris

Location, Place, Relationships, Movement

Morning Girl and her brother Star Boy narrate this story of Taino life in 1492. Although the families living on their island face many hardships, they benefit from the help the give one another. Towards the end of the story Morning Girl stumbles upon a group of strangers and invites them to come ashore. One of the strangers goes by the name Christopher Columbus.

**Brother Eagle, Sister Sky

Chief Seattle

Relationships

This story is adapted from a speech given by Chief Seattle in the 1850s. During negotiations with the United States government he urged those around him to protect and preserve the natural environment. The illustrated paintings accompanying the story depict Native American interacting with the environment.

Jayhawker

Patricia Beatty

Location, Place, Movement

In the years before the Civil War Midwesterners are torn over the issue of slavery. Lije Tully is a jayhawker (a Kansas abolitionist) that goes undercover among a group of Confederates. He warns Kansans of possible dangers for many years, but he returns home shortly before the raid on Lawrence.

*Grasshopper Summer

Ann Turner

Location, Place, Relationships, Movement, Region

Following the Civil War hardships force Sam's family to leave Kentucky for the Dakota Territory. The journey west is difficult, and Sam is resentful about the sacrifice forced upon him. However, he soon learns to love his new home and when new troubles threaten to send the family back east Sam goes to great lengths to stay out west.

*The Ups and Downs of Carl Davis III

Rosa Guy

Place, Relationships, Movement, Region

In this story Carl's parents send him to live with his grandmother because they fear the negative influences he must face while living in New York City. However, Carl's letters to friends and family back home show that adversity and temptation are not limited to the big city. He must battle confusion and worry, but he gains small measures of wisdom and maturity.

John Muir

Eden Force

Location, Place, Relationships, Movement

This biography of John Muir, the first president of the Sierra Club, demonstrates the importance of educating people about the world around them. Although born in Scotland, he finds true happiness living in the Yosemite Valley in California. There he discovers that wildlife and the environment need protection in order to survive.

*The Star Fisher

Laurence Yep

Place

In 1927, Joan Lee and her family decide to move to West Virginia from their home in Ohio. The family of Chinese-Americans struggle to find acceptance from their close-minded neighbors, and they finally find the support they need in the kind words and actions of their new friends. Together they overcome the backward views of the townspeople.

Downriver

Will Hobbs

Location, Place, Relationships, Movement, Region

After seven teenagers hijack the rafting equipment from their wilderness education program, they embark on a wild ride down the Colorado River. However, with no map or adult supervision things soon fall apart. Some teens sustain injuries, while different members of the group turn on one another, but when all is said and done one young girl comes out of the experience with a new respect for the wilderness and a willingness to compromise with others.