Best Selling Books by Doris Gates

To Janey Larkin, the blue willow plate was the most beautiful thing in her life, a symbol of the home she could only dimly remember. Now that her father was an itinerant worker, Janey didn''t have a home she could call her own or any real friends, as her family had to keep moving, following the crops from farm to farm. Someday, Janey promised the willow plate, with its picture of a real house, her family would once again be able to set down roots in a community. Blue Willow is an important fictional account of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, and has been called The Grapes of Wrath for children. It won a Newbery Honor and many other awards.

Retells the events leading up to the Trojan War including Helen''s capture by Paris and the sacrifice of Iphigenia at Aulis.

An undersized colt, son of a famous racer, has the potential to be a winner but is recognized only by his stable boy who trains to become a jockey and wins the right to ride his favorite to victory.

Ten-year-old orphaned Kate, who knows herself to be a very sensible child, longs to be cute and pretty. When she comes to live with new foster parents and meets a friendly young artist couple who recognize her qualities, Kate begins to change her goals.

Retells the Greek myths in which Apollo plays a major role, including that of his birth and the tales of Daphne and Phaethon.

Twelve-year-old Melinda faces the difficult choice between keeing her beloved filly, Little Missy, or helping her parents through a family crisis.

Mrs. Cary takes in a talking cat and a convalescing nephew who help find a hidden treasure in the attic and appreciate her for the remarkable woman she is.

A taciturn new ranch hand, a lost pipe, and two old neighbors are part of the mystery of cattle thievery that a twenty-year-old youth tries to solve while his parents are away.

Retells the Greek myths in which Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty, and Demeter, goddess of grain and agriculture, play major roles.

Retells the Greek myths in which Athena plays a major role, including those of Perseus, the Golden Fleece, and Arachne.

Retells the exploits of the Greek demi-god Heracles, including the tales of his twelve labors.

This story begins with a 65-year old woman coming to terms not only with being her age, but with looking it. With great wit and wisdom, Gates describes working through the aging process as well as life''s other inevitable challenges, both great and small. With the kind of insight that can only come from a life well lived and thoughtfully examined, the author offers practical advice on using our darkest moments for spiritual and personal growth. Through sharing her deepest fears and greatest triumphs, Gates teaches us all how to transform adversity into blessings at every turn.

At 93 and faced with the challenges of old age, failing health and living in a nursing home, Doris Gates applies her spiritual insights to find happiness and meaning in the latter years of life. Here is a book of optimism, wisdom and wit; a departure from the worries you normally hear regarding people''s fear of aging. You, too, can learn to see your challenges as blessings instead of fearing them. As you make changes in your thinking you can find joy and purpose despite life''s difficulties.

Here is a book of optimism, wisdom and wit. Quite a departure from the worries you hear regarding people''s fear of aging. The writer tells about some life situations that she had to overcome, and how she learned to appreciate all those problems because of what they taught her. You, too, will learn to see your challenges as blessings instead of fearing them. As you make changes in your thinking you gain new insights...new joys that give life a new purpose. At age 91, Doris Gates finds the joy of living still increasing as happiness shines through her present residence at a nursing home.