Showing results by author "Joan Lowery Nixon" in All Categories

In 1860, life in New York City’s slums is hard and dangerous. For a widow with six children, it is impossible. So when Mrs. Kelly learns of the Children’s Aid Society, she sees a way to provide for her children. They will be sent west on an “orphan train” to families eager for help on their farms. Thirteen-year-old Mary Frances is confused and angry. How could a mother send her children away? At her new home in Missouri, however, Mary Frances is surprised to discover that the kind family provides a refuge on the Underground Railroad.

Christina Lattimore’s family is wealthy and powerful. She attends the best private high school. Yet Christina feels trapped by her family’s expectations. Frustrated and angry at her situation, she pays little attention when a strange car follows her home one night. Its headlights are the last thing she remembers until she wakes up in captivity. Christina is terrified when she realizes kidnappers are holding her for ransom. But after her rescue, she faces an even greater shock. Her family thinks she was an accomplice in her own kidnapping! Can she convince them of her innocence?

Thirteen-year-old Stacy is sunbathing in the backyard when she hears a strange noise from inside the house. Turning to look, she sees a man with a gun burst through the door; then everything goes black. She wakes up in a hospital bed to learn that she has spent the last four years in a catatonic state. Suddenly 17, she finds herself struggling to adjust and fighting to remember what happened to her. She is the only witness to the shooting that injured her and killed her mother.

As the saga of the Kelly children continues, Mike Kelly is adopted by a German immigrant farm family living in Missouri. Although they are kind to him, they are mainly interested in having cheap labor. Eleven-year-old Michael Patrick Kelly from New York City is sent to a foster home, a Missouri farm with a sadistic owner, a bullying son, and a number of secrets, one of which may be murder.

Shy Megan Kelly cannot forget the day a gypsy read her palm announcing to all that she would bring trouble to those around her. Afterward, trouble does follow her, until she takes the necessary steps to free herself from the burdens of fear, loneliness, and superstition.

The Civil War has officially ended, and Frances Mary Kelly's true love, Johnny, is back from the war. But to Frances' dismay, Johnny is hesitant to marry her. Attempting to ease her aching heart, Frances accepts an offer to go to New York City and escort a group of orphans out West to new homes. Along the way she must deal with a flood of painful memories and a threatening stranger. Will Frances be able to complete her mission...and return home to find out what her future will be?

It's the autumn of 1863, and as the Civil War rages, a stranger named Violet seeks refuge with the Kelly family. Peg Kelly, 11, is thrilled—Violet treats her like an adult, not a child. Violet is fleeing Confederate raiders and has information that may save the Union. But she can't deliver her message unless she takes a dangerous journey.

It's 1861, and although Mike Kelly is far younger than the legal age of 16, he and his best friend Todd secretly join up with the Second Kansas Infantry and become army drummer boys. Mike's dreams of glory end when he's wounded at the bloody Battle of Wilson's Creek and must begin a dangerous adventure behind enemy lines.

Danny and his younger sister, Peg, are placed in St. Joseph, Missouri, with kind Alfrid and Olga Swenson. Danny is thrilled to have a "real" father again, but when Olga suddenly dies, he is devastated - until he thinks of an ingenious plan to find Alfrid a new wife.

The first time 16-year-old Sarah walks into her new home, she is overwhelmed by a feeling of dread. Something terrible has happened here. When an icy presence whispers a desperate plea for help, Sarah investigates. Sarah first began sensing spirits after her near death experience. She had hoped to leave the hauntings behind and start over in this new town. But now she has learned that someone was murdered in this house, and the murderer went unpunished. Maybe her new friends can help her.

Katie Gillian’s mother is a dedicated investigative reporter. Her articles have helped innocent men on death row and have halted the illegal dumping of toxic wastes. Now the Gillians have moved from their home in Dallas to a small, quiet Texas town, where Katie’s mother is taking six months off to write a novel. In the local high school, Katie feels like an outsider. But as she meets the townspeople, she begins to feel fear as well. Someone prowls around outside her house at night. A homely girl who befriends Katie suddenly disappears. Now the Gillians are determined to discover what evil is lurking in the shadows of this seemingly ordinary town.

Holly Campbell's world has suddenly been turned upside down. Her best friend stands accused of murdering his parents. She knows Cody is innocent, but how can she help him prove it? Holly’s father, the detective in charge of the murder investigation, has forbidden her to see Cody, and he and her mother are too preoccupied with their failing marriage to listen to reason. Cody's strange neighbor wants to help, but the woman gives Holly the creeps. She's supposed to be a psychic, but the things she's asking Holly to do are frightening and very risky.

The coroner has ruled Barry Logan’s death as the latest in a string of teen-age suicides. Marti Lewis was Barry’s best friend, and she knows that he was murdered. She just can’t get anyone to believe her. The evidence is clear to Marti. Barry was excited about being accepted at Texas A&M and had everything to live for. Why would he shoot himself in the head after watching a music video that disgusted him? The police found the gun in his right hand, but he was left-handed. Everyone is refusing to accept the obvious.