Thea, constantly on the move with her father, longs for stability as they settle at a guest ranch on Gumboot Lake. Here, she forges a friendship with local boy Van and takes on the challenge of rehabilitating an abused horse named Renegade. As Thea navigates her feelings of loneliness and her family's troubled past, she uncovers a decades-old mystery that helps her confront her own losses. The story explores themes of friendship, healing, and the quest for belonging amidst a backdrop of change.
The story revolves around teenage Rachel and her sister as they move in with their estranged grandparents, uncovering hidden family secrets. As they adapt to life on the ranch, they discover that their relatives are not the only ones harboring mysteries, leading to a captivating exploration of trust, identity, and the complexities of family ties.
The narrative revolves around the rescue and adoption of exotic animals, focusing on lizards, snakes, reptiles, and birds. It explores themes of belonging and community as various characters navigate their feelings of displacement. Through the journey of finding homes for these unique pets, the story emphasizes the bonds of friendship that develop between the animals and their rescuers, highlighting the importance of family and the joy of providing a safe haven for those in need.
Set against the backdrop of a horse ranch, a young girl named Tory, who has faced instability in foster care, finds solace and companionship in a pony named Lucky. Throughout her summer, she discovers the significance of personal bravery and the happiness that comes from feeling accepted and loved. This junior novel beautifully highlights themes of resilience and the transformative power of relationships.
Melissa is waiting for the "new life" that her mother Sharlene has promised her since a fire devastated their family. But nothing ever seems to change. Melissa has difficulty making friends at school, they never have enough money and her little brother Cody is a brat. When Sharlene announces that they will be spending the month of August at a remote cabin on a wilderness lake, Melissa is less than thrilled. But there is more to do at the lake than she expected, and she is surprised to learn that her mother knows how to paddle a canoe, fish and make bannock and s'mores. On an island in the middle of the lake, Melissa meets Alice, a strange girl who is writing a fantasy novel. Alice shares her tree fort on the island with Melissa, and while at first Melissa is attracted to Alice's strong personality and her stories of her "perfect family," she becomes increasingly uneasy around Alice. As Melissa's relationship with her mother improves and her confidence increases, she is able to hold her own with Alice and start to appreciate her own imperfect family.
The story centers on Hope, who discovers that her long-time imaginary friend, Grace, is actually real on her eleventh birthday. Determined to bring her family closer together, Hope embarks on a quest to find Grace, believing that this connection could fill the void in her life. The narrative explores themes of friendship, family dynamics, and the journey of self-discovery through Hope's heartfelt adventure.
