Think you know what rural America is like? Discover a plurality of perspectives in this enlightening anthology of stories that turns preconceptions on their head.

Gracie sees a chance of fitting in at her South Carolina private school, until a white trash-themed Halloween party has her steering clear of the rich kids. Samuel's Tejano family has both stood up to oppression and been a source of it, but now he's ready to own his true sexual identity. A Puerto Rican teen in Utah discovers that being a rodeo queen means embracing her heritage, not shedding it. . . .

For most of America's history, rural people and culture have been casually mocked, stereotyped, and, in general, deeply misunderstood. Now an array of short stories, poetry, graphic short stories, and personal essays, along with anecdotes from the authors' real lives, dives deep into the complexity and diversity of rural America and the people who call it home. Fifteen extraordinary authors--diverse in ethnic background, sexual orientation, geographic location, and socioeconomic status--explore the challenges, beauty, and nuances of growing up in rural America. From a mountain town in New Mexico to the gorges of New York to the arctic tundra of Alaska, you'll find yourself visiting parts of this country you might not know existed--and meet characters whose lives might be surprisingly similar to your own.

Featuring contributors:
David Bowles
Joseph Bruchac
Veeda Bybee
Nora Shalaway Carpenter
Shae Carys
S. A. Cosby
Rob Costello
Randy DuBurke
David Macinnis Gill
Nasugraq Rainey Hopson
Estelle Laure
Yamile Saied Méndez
Ashley Hope Pérez
Tirzah Price
Monica Roe

Having snagged a job for a high-end swamp tour company, Jack Cane Landry-Louisiana homeboy and self-professed swamp rat-wants to ditch school and guide fulltime. Poised, attractive, and well-traveled, Olivia FitzGerald loves her private New York City prep school and is Harvard bound. When Olivia and her philanthropist father jet in for a tour Jack will help guide, these wildly different teens are flung together in dire circumstances. The plane carrying the party to their remote campsite crashes, and Jack and Olivia are the only apparent survivors. Jack soon learns his swamp savvy may not be enough to assure their rescue, but can this rich city girl rise to a challenge where the stakes are life and death? As the teens face down lethal reptiles, a prowling swamp cat, a gun-toting ne'er-do-well, and weather intent on killing them, Swamped! wraps nonstop adventure into an unlikely love story.

Excerpt: When his cigarette was going well he lazed over on his side, supporting his head on a crooked arm, and gazed abroad between half-shut lids. The view from Linny's Hill was all that could be desired. At the base of the hill the Golden Bar-Hillsville trail, a yellow-gray ribbon across the green, led the eye across flats and gentle rises through shady groves of pine and cedar... William Patterson White was a prolific author of western novels and short stories.

Think you know what rural America is like? Discover a plurality of perspectives in this enlightening anthology of stories that turns preconceptions on their head.

Gracie sees a chance of fitting in at her South Carolina private school, until a white trash-themed Halloween party has her steering clear of the rich kids. Samuel's Tejano family has both stood up to oppression and been a source of it, but now he's ready to own his true sexual identity. A Puerto Rican teen in Utah discovers that being a rodeo queen means embracing her heritage, not shedding it. . . .

For most of America's history, rural people and culture have been casually mocked, stereotyped, and, in general, deeply misunderstood. Now an array of short stories, poetry, graphic short stories, and personal essays, along with anecdotes from the authors' real lives, dives deep into the complexity and diversity of rural America and the people who call it home. Fifteen extraordinary authors--diverse in ethnic background, sexual orientation, geographic location, and socioeconomic status--explore the challenges, beauty, and nuances of growing up in rural America. From a mountain town in New Mexico to the gorges of New York to the arctic tundra of Alaska, you'll find yourself visiting parts of this country you might not know existed--and meet characters whose lives might be surprisingly similar to your own.

Featuring contributors:
David Bowles
Joseph Bruchac
Veeda Bybee
Nora Shalaway Carpenter
Shae Carys
S. A. Cosby
Rob Costello
Randy DuBurke
David Macinnis Gill
Nasugraq Rainey Hopson
Estelle Laure
Yamile Saied Méndez
Ashley Hope Pérez
Tirzah Price
Monica Roe

Winner, 2021 Midwest Book Awards, Young Adult Category

Finalist, 2021 High Plains Book Award

Selected as a recommended title by the Kansas National Education Association's Reading Circle Commission.

When Katie Myrdal's father is found dead in his Porsche, everything she thought she knew about her family is shaken. Her uncle Len and his wife Maggie-relatives she barely knew existed-show up at the funeral and offer an escape for the summer to their Kansas farm. Katie abandons her Chicago Gold Coast high-rise life to land beneath the wider skies of the prairie. Grappling with loss and disillusionment, Katie must forge new skills and new friendships in a small town called Opulence, a town holding secrets and riches she will need before she can go back home.

Thirteen-year-old Wendy and her two younger sisters love to lounge about reading books lazily. Their father wants land in the bush so his girls can experience their pioneering heritage. The girl's mother is not keen on the bush but she thinks fifty acres would be a good investment. After a disastrous trip to the Hokianga they finally find their dream property in a range of hills close to Whangarei. The dream has the potential to turn into a nightmare when they erect a tiny shed on the neighbour's land by mistake. Buying the wrong land is only the start of hilarious misadventures for this family and their cat, as each weekend they plunge into primitive living. The girls' soft life is suddenly filled with bush hikes, possums, and manual labour. Antoinette (who is convinced she is a princess and kidnapped at birth) resents the lack of running water or electricity more than the rest of the family The ultimate horror is when she drops her lipstick and prized nighty down the long-drop-toilet by accident. Yet despite Taranaki gates, endless rain, and mud, the girls are won over to country living by fourteen steers, an old horse, and a naughty pet lamb. When the trees next to their house in town are cut down, even their mother decides the bush is where she most wants to live. Children who enjoy the Little House on the Prairie series will love this distinctly New Zealand version of pioneering in the 1970s.

A young girl finally escapes her father who had forced her to wear men's clothing and help in robbing and cheating. She is taken in by friendly Indians and stays at their camp. But soon chief of the tribe, asks his friend Dan Overton to take the girl as it is not good for her to remain in the camp. Dan provides for Tana and falls in love with her but, because of her past, she keeps him at a distance... Marah Ellis Ryan (1860-1934) was an author, actress, and activist from the United States. She was noted as an authority on the tribal life of the Indians in the United States and Mexico and went to live with the Hopi tribe becoming the only white female to be ever admitted to their secret religious rites. As a young woman she wrote poems and stories under the pen-name of Ellis Martin.

Ande Trembath: A Tale Of Old Cornwall England This book is a result of an effort made by us towards making a contribution to the preservation and repair of original classic literature. In an attempt to preserve, improve and recreate the original content, we have worked towards: 1. Type-setting & Reformatting: The complete work has been re-designed via professional layout, formatting and type-setting tools to re-create the same edition with rich typography, graphics, high quality images, and table elements, giving our readers the feel of holding a 'fresh and newly' reprinted and/or revised edition, as opposed to other scanned & printed (Optical Character Recognition - OCR) reproductions. 2. Correction of imperfections: As the work was re-created from the scratch, therefore, it was vetted to rectify certain conventional norms with regard to typographical mistakes, hyphenations, punctuations, blurred images, missing content/pages, and/or other related subject matters, upon our consideration. Every attempt was made to rectify the imperfections related to omitted constructs in the original edition via other references. However, a few of such imperfections which could not be rectified due to intentional\unintentional omission of content in the original edition, were inherited and preserved from the original work to maintain the authenticity and construct, relevant to the work. We believe that this work holds historical, cultural and/or intellectual importance in the literary works community, therefore despite the oddities, we accounted the work for print as a part of our continuing effort towards preservation of literary work and our contribution towards the development of the society as a whole, driven by our beliefs. We are grateful to our readers for putting their faith in us and accepting our imperfections with regard to preservation of the historical content. HAPPY READING

What happens when your best friend becomes

your worst enemy?

Kya, the valedictorian of her high school class, has always kept her nose in her books and has never been a partier. But finally, it's graduation, and she's eager to attend her friend's party.

But during the party, her illusions are shattered. What is supposed to be the best night of her life turns into a nightmare. Betrayed, battered, and bruised, she escapes her tormentor and ends up walking alone along the dark roads of her small hometown of Upton, Wyoming. Fortunately, a kind, sexy stranger in a pickup rescues her.

Now Kya must decide how to proceed. Will she let things slide to avoid the biggest scandal this small town has ever seen? Or will she condemn a friend to prison? And what will she do with her wonderful new protector who won't let her out of his sight?

First Comes Thunder is a suspenseful tale where masks are unveiled, first love is powerfully overwhelming, and in one night, everything changes forever.

Fifteen-year-old Nick is a shy homeschooler whose best friend is his

younger sister. Growing up on a farm, they both like the Australian
horse-riding sport campdrafting, but Nick is too nervous around other people to
compete. Tired of watching his sister making friends wherever she goes, Nick
joins a local swim squad to challenge himself.

There he begins to come out of his shell, especially when he is
befriended by four of his teammates who show him how to be friendly and
self-confident. He soon discovers that he is great at swimming the breaststroke
and finds the assurance to compete in meets. As his friendships and self-esteem
grows, his shyness diminishes, but will that be enough to help him compete in
the next campdraft event?

Written by a homeschooling mother of six, Holding Back provides an
authentic look at what homeschooling is like and how hard it can be for
homeschooled kids to challenge themselves in social situations.
Rhiza Shorts are teen novellas for reluctant readers.

Bealby: A Holiday This book is a result of an effort made by us towards making a contribution to the preservation and repair of original classic literature. In an attempt to preserve, improve and recreate the original content, we have worked towards: 1. Type-setting & Reformatting: The complete work has been re-designed via professional layout, formatting and type-setting tools to re-create the same edition with rich typography, graphics, high quality images, and table elements, giving our readers the feel of holding a 'fresh and newly' reprinted and/or revised edition, as opposed to other scanned & printed (Optical Character Recognition - OCR) reproductions. 2. Correction of imperfections: As the work was re-created from the scratch, therefore, it was vetted to rectify certain conventional norms with regard to typographical mistakes, hyphenations, punctuations, blurred images, missing content/pages, and/or other related subject matters, upon our consideration. Every attempt was made to rectify the imperfections related to omitted constructs in the original edition via other references. However, a few of such imperfections which could not be rectified due to intentional\unintentional omission of content in the original edition, were inherited and preserved from the original work to maintain the authenticity and construct, relevant to the work. We believe that this work holds historical, cultural and/or intellectual importance in the literary works community, therefore despite the oddities, we accounted the work for print as a part of our continuing effort towards preservation of literary work and our contribution towards the development of the society as a whole, driven by our beliefs. We are grateful to our readers for putting their faith in us and accepting our imperfections with regard to preservation of the historical content. HAPPY READING

Thirteen-year-old Wendy and her two younger sisters love to lounge about reading books lazily. Their father wants land in the bush so his girls can experience their pioneering heritage. The girl's mother is not keen on the bush but she thinks fifty acres would be a good investment. After a disastrous trip to the Hokianga they finally find their dream property in a range of hills close to Whangarei. The dream has the potential to turn into a nightmare when they erect a tiny shed on the neighbour's land by mistake. Buying the wrong land is only the start of hilarious misadventures for this family and their cat, as each weekend they plunge into primitive living. The girls' soft life is suddenly filled with bush hikes, possums, and manual labour. Antoinette (who is convinced she is a princess and kidnapped at birth) resents the lack of running water or electricity more than the rest of the family The ultimate horror is when she drops her lipstick and prized nighty down the long-drop-toilet by accident. Yet despite Taranaki gates, endless rain, and mud, the girls are won over to country living by fourteen steers, an old horse, and a naughty pet lamb. When the trees next to their house in town are cut down, even their mother decides the bush is where she most wants to live. Children who enjoy the Little House on the Prairie series will love this distinctly New Zealand version of pioneering in the 1970s.

Graceland Johnson and Noble Chavis had a secret he took with him to the grave. Now, Noble is back and Graceland must find a way to keep him around. As eyes shift and lips meet, Graceland knows he's using Jamie Locklear to communicate with her. What is Noble trying to say? Will Graceland figure it all out before the Reaper finds him and carries him to Heaven? What's so special about Angel Creek, North Carolina that keeps the undead around? Find out in this sweet paranormal romance series by Jen Lowry.

When I accepted the reporter position at the newspaper, I thought I would work there for the rest of my life. In addition to covering news, local issues, and events, I wrote a weekly column, Reporter's Reflections, which allowed me to give comment and opinions on the news stories I had written. I was younger then, and I thought my schooling had provided me the knowledge I needed to manage the job. My first year taught me otherwise. This collection of reflections from my first year will provide some entertainment, but also a glimpse into what the life of a new reporter covering small-town life is like.

The tiny fishing community of Deeper Harbour is in deep trouble-and so is fourteen-year-old Roland MacTavish. Roland's mom wants to move with him to Ottawa, away from his father, his weird friend Dulsie, and his even weirder grandfather, Angus. So Roland does what any sane teenager would do: he invents a sea monster. Unfortunately, the scheme quickly spins out of Roland's control, and he has to go to greater and greater lengths to keep up the illusion. And then Roland must deal with a situation far more terrifying than any sea monster. As moving as it is irresistibly funny, Steve Vernon's portrait of Roland and Deeper Harbour is perfect for anyone who's ever been stuck badly enough to do something awesomely, brilliantly, heroically stupid.

Jessie hated leaving California, the ocean, the sand between his toes, the cool surf washing around his feet, and the smell of the seaweed as he tangled it around his shoulders. He'd been learning to body-surf with neighborhood friends and was getting pretty good.

All that had come to an end when his dad announced taking that out-of-state job. Why isn't the one you have good enough? challenged Jessie. No one listened. From heaven to hell, Jessie thought. He almost hated his dad for making him change friends, schools, and his home, leaving the wonderful sea behind. He bet the teenagers of the desert never even heard of surfing

Making it worse was changing late in the semester. He wouldn't know anyone in his classes; he thought he'd be the new freak His heart was heavy. Would there be anything good to write?

Jessie hated leaving California, the ocean, the sand between his toes, the cool surf washing around his feet, and the smell of the seaweed as he tangled it around his shoulders. He'd been learning to body-surf with neighborhood friends and was getting pretty good.

All that had come to an end when his dad announced taking that out-of-state job. Why isn't the one you have good enough? challenged Jessie. No one listened. From heaven to hell, Jessie thought. He almost hated his dad for making him change friends, schools, and his home, leaving the wonderful sea behind. He bet the teenagers of the desert never even heard of surfing

Making it worse was changing late in the semester. He wouldn't know anyone in his classes; he thought he'd be the new freak His heart was heavy. Would there be anything good to write?

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This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.