New Releases by Gloria Whelan

Gloria Whelan weaves an imaginatie tale of politcal intrigue that exploress the horrific consequences of misplaced power. With sweeping strokes of realism that focus on our nation''s health care reform, Whelan demonstrates how the best intentions can pave the way for great evil.

"When Mai''s family discovers that Vietnam government soldiers will soon apprehend her father and grandmother, the family slips away in the night. They trudge through the swamps of the Mekong Delta toward the sea. The gut-wrenching trip to Hong Kong is just another step toward a new life, which the family eventually finds. Whelan''s characters are distinctive, and her story is riveting, haunting, and memorable, reflecting the human virtues of determination, hope, love, and courage in the face of the most devastating of circumstances and injustices."--Booklist.

Hannah, a blind girl living in Michigan in the late nineteenth century, doesn''t go to school, until a new teacher comes to board at their house.

When Grandma dies, her five children and their children descend on her farmhouse to divide the possessions in an orderly manner and in hopes of making everyone happy.

Sixteen-year-old Ali comes face to face with murder and kidnapping during what promised to be a pleasant summer on Lake Michigan.

Deep in the Alaskan wilds, 9-year-old Rachel dreams of owning and racing a sled dog one day. When her father, who breeds and races huskies, gives her the runt of the litter, Rachel names the puppy Silver and sets out to prove he''s a champion.

Raids on his corn, garbage can, and bird feeder lead Mr. Twerkle to trap five raccoons and take them out to the woods, but they refuse to stay where he puts them.

This is a wonderful book of stories. Gloria Whelan is adept in creating the small luminous details that bring a story to life. She is miraculously fair to all her characters, young and old, and her accounts are both funny and frightening.