Patricia's Books

  Great reads for boys and girls, and perfect for family snuggling and read-aloud time.

                                                                                             

Fisherman's Daughter

Struggling to cope with the death of her mother in the 1918 flu epidemic, eleven-year-old Katarina Markovich looks to her beloved teacher for guidance--and to fill the gaping hole in her life. She wants to become a teacher just like Miss Thornberry.

But Katarina’s dreams fall apart when Papa makes her leave school to care for the family. She tries to change Papa’s mind, but everything she does just makes things worse! Must she give up and let go of her dreams?

This tender novel, aimed at middle-grade readers, was inspired by the pioneer families from Croatia who once settled the sandy coves of Tomales Bay, California, in the 1920s. 



In the Shadow
       of the Mammoth
At eleven summers, Zol prepares to go on his first mammoth hunt. He knows he should be eager to join the hunters of his Star- Dancer clan, but shameful fear gnaws at his insides like a hungry rat.

In his quest for courage, Zol barely escapes death in a raging river, stands face–to-face with a young mammoth, and survives an attack by a long-toothed cat. Zol gains confidence from these encounters, but will his new-found courage stay with him at the mammoth hunt?

This middle-grade novel is the first ever written about the prehistoric hunters known as the Clovis people who roamed the Pacific Northwest about 12,000 years ago. This action-packed story brings the Ice Age alive for young readers.

An Educators’ Guide is available for teachers.
 * Nominee, 2005-2006 Young Hoosier Book Award                                                                           
 * Nominee, 2006 Keystone to Reading Book Award 



Goodbye, Goose
Like a naughty child who won’t listen to its mother, Wild Goose ignores the gentle signs from nature urging her to fly south--until she wakes up one morning covered in snow! What will Wild Goose do?

This easy-to-read picture book of 250 words introduces the concept of bird migration to beginning readers. Its lyrical language and word repetition make it a favorite in classrooms.