Life Tragedy

Just after noon on a spring day in 2006, aspiring singer-songwriter Hilary Williams and her sister Holly - the granddaughters of country legend Hank Williams and daughters of country music star Hank Williams, Jr. - were driving through Mississippi down a rural stretch of Route 61 on their way to their grandfather’s funeral. Suddenly, the front wheel of the truck became caught in one of the many deep ruts and gravel lining the road, causing the vehicle and its passengers to flip over several times, crushing steel and breaking fragile bones as it crashed.

At some point in your life, you will contemplate the end and question what it is like to depart from the only thing you’ve known. Hesitation and uncertainty might consume you to the core, or a sensation of comfort and contentment will set you free. In Four Seasons, Chris Widener shares the relatable journey of Jonathan Blake and his family through a year in their life, confronted with unavoidable tragedy. After he is diagnosed with cancer, Jonathan reflects on the growth of his children, watching them take life into their own hands and create light in the darkest of times.

It's a most unusual story. Father was gone, and Mother was dying from TB. That left Grandmother Anna, who was older than dirt, trying to raise three little girls without two nickels to rub together. It was 1933, in the middle of the depression. We lived in Queens, NY, and let me tell you, times were hard. I was five years old when The Fresh Air Fund’s summer program had an unexpected opening. Those two weeks I spent in Delaware changed my life forever.

In a courageous debut novel, Holly M. McGhee explores the loss that shakes one girl's world - and the unexpected consequences of the things we do for love.

In 2008, Bridgid suffered severe traumatic brain injury following a bicycle accident. Her life resumed as if she were a three-year-old having to relearn many of the life skills that she lost as a result of her injury. This story chronicles her journey - waxing and waning - toward healing.

Skate Tate has a good life. She has close friends, a loving family, and her beloved Great Uncle Mort. However, Skate has to figure out the new world of Biddle Middle, where eighth graders rule, old friendships start to change, and a sixth-grader has to struggle to make a place for herself. Then other, more painful changes arise for the Tates. This story of how this close knit family responds to tragedy will move and delight listeners everywhere.

In The Tragedy of Arthur, Phillips tells the (mostly) true story of being asked to write the introduction to a lost Shakespeare play entitled The Most Excellent and Tragical Historie of Arthur, King of Britain. But Phillips knows the play - supposedly found in a safety deposit box in America - is a fake.

Twenty literary luminaries, ranging from Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare to Louisa May Alcott and Mark Twain, are profiled in this entertaining and informative collection. Winner of A School Library Journal's Book of the Year Award, Lives of the Writers is both an indispensable reference tool and an exhilarating gossipfest. Author Kathleen Krull makes learning fun, painting realistic portraits of Hans Christian Andersen, Edgar Allan Poe, Frances Hodgson Burnett, the Brontë sisters, Emily Dickinson, E.B. White, Jack London, Murasaki Shikibu, Miguel de Cervantes, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jane Austen, and more. Krull serves up an outstanding introduction to the classics of literature for the whole family, while telling us all the real stories behind their writers.

Murphys Don’t Quit is a story of hope and resilience as one family rallies together during a tragedy. Colleen Murphys’ daughter, Lauren, suffered severe brain damage after a tragic accident. Lauren remained in the hospital unidentified for several hours, she was not expected to survive. This story is a raw, honest account of the pitfalls and challenges a family faces while navigating life through brain injury. Murphys Don’t Quit shows how one family combined a never-give-up attitude with faith, hope, and love.