Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

A Summer in a Cañon is a remarkable story of a late 19th-century California life from the point of view of a group of teens and children on the summertime adventure of their lives. The book is following lives of Polly Oliver and her friends and cousins a year or so before she takes off for San Francisco to earn a living and save her mother from destitution. It is a fun chronicle of a summer vacation, during which Polly writes some very clever and humorous letters home, to an invalid cousin in Santa Barbara, where she describes things such as a tarantula fight and donkey riding. Polly Oliver's Problem continues to follow Polly after she comes back from holyday and starts working on her life dream, which is becoming a kindergarten teacher. But her mother, who runs a boarding house, gets ill and Polly must take responsibility. When the doctor suggests a change of climate, Polly moves the family to San Francisco where she keeps trying to fulfill the dream with her mother's blessing. Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923) was an American educator and author of children's stories, most notably the classic children's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. She started the first free kindergarten in San Francisco in 1878 (the Silver Street Free Kindergarten). With her sister during the 1880s, she also established a training school for kindergarten teachers. Kate Wiggin devoted her adult life to the welfare of children in an era when children were commonly thought of as cheap labor.

This carefully crafted ebook: "MOTHER CAREY'S CHICKENS (Children's Book Classic)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents. The book tells the story of a poor but happy family of four children who, in spite of being fatherless, make the lives of others better. Newly widowed, Nancy Carey keeps her healthy spirit and folksy grit and takes her four children to live in the tiny Maine town of Beulah. There, they learn to love country life, country neighbors, country schools, and especially their new home, the Yellow House. They have little misadventures and learn to be better people. Their home life becomes complicated when Julia, a snobbish cousin, comes to live with them. The Carey children suffer many disappointments, but in the end, Julia is transformed when she realizes happiness has little to do with wealth. Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856 – 1923) was an American educator and author of children's stories, most notably the classic children's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. She started the first free kindergarten in San Francisco in 1878 (the Silver Street Free Kindergarten). With her sister during the 1880s, she also established a training school for kindergarten teachers. Kate Wiggin devoted her adult life to the welfare of children in an era when children were commonly thought of as cheap labor.

A Summer in a Canyon_ A Califor by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin

It was not long after sunrise, and Stephen Waterman, fresh from his dip in the river, had scrambled up the hillside from the hut in the alder-bushes where he had made his morning toilet. An early ablution of this sort was not the custom of the farmers along the banks of the Saco, but the Waterman house was hardly a stone's throw from the water, and there was a clear, deep swimming-hole in the Willow Cove that would have tempted the busiest man, or the least cleanly, in York County. Then, too, Stephen was a child of the river, born, reared, schooled on its very brink, never happy unless he were on it, or in it, or beside it, or at least within sight or sound of it.

Eden Place was a short street running at right angles with Eden Square, a most unattractive and infertile triangle of ground in a most unattractive but respectable quarter of a large city. It was called a square, not so much, probably, because it was triangular in shape, as because it was hardly large enough to be designated as a park. As to its being called 'Eden,' the origin of that qualifying word is enveloped in mystery; but it is likely that the enthusiastic persons who projected it saw visions and dreamed dreams of green benches under umbrageous trees, of a green wire fence, ever green, and of plots of blossoming flowers filling the grateful air with unaccustomed fragrance.

MARCH had come in like a lion, and showed no sign of going out like a lamb. The pussy willows knew that it was, or ought to be, spring, but although it takes a deal to discourage a New England pussy willow, they shivered in their brown skins and despaired of making their annual appearance even by April Fool’s Hay.

Unlike her twin brother, Jackson, Jessa struggled with her weight and very few friends. Jackson was an athlete and the epitome of popularity, while Jessa felt invisible. Noah was the quintessential "It" guy at school-charismatic, well-liked, and undeniably handsome. To make matters worse, he was Jackson's best friend and Jessa's biggest bully. During their senior year, Jessa decides it was time for her to gain some self-confidence, find her true beauty and not be the invisible twin. As Jessa transformed, she begins to catch the eye of everyone around her, especially Noah. Noah, initially blinded by his perception of Jessa as merely Jackson's sister, started to see her in a new light. How did she become the captivating woman invading his thoughts? When did she become the object of his fantasies? Join Jessa on her journey from being the class joke to a confident, desirable young woman, surprising even Noah as she reveals the incredible person she has always been inside.

Mia knew she wasn't normal. She just wanted to be left alone. On her seventh birthday, she was cursed with gold eyes and the power to control all four elements. She was a freak, and she didn't know what she did to be punished like this. On her eighteenth birthday, after her foster home slammed the door in her face, a mysterious man shoved a train ticket into her hand and told her to get on the midnight train. Confused but not having anywhere else to go, she followed his instructions. She didn't know that she would end up at a protection school for supernatural creatures. She didn't know she was needed to fulfill a stupid prophecy some witch lady chanted a thousand years ago. And she definitely didn't know she would meet her mate, whatever that was. All she did know was that he was hardheaded, possessive, and a dragon.

Coleen Maine hated Hayden Michaels with her entire heart. After high school graduation, she thought she had escaped the hell that being a classmate to Hayden was. Being his academic rival was enough to put her, Coleen, at the top of his shit list. To make matters worse, he's the hot, popular jock with a full-ride scholarship he doesn't need, because he has all the money that she doesn't. When Coleen finds herself in close contact with Hayden again out of no free will of her own, she expects things to be the same. But somehow, somewhere between summer and starting their first year at college, something changed. Now, Coleen isn't sure Hayden hates her anymore. Between her new job, college, and her friendships, she finds herself wondering what lies behind Hayden's deep gaze towards her.

Aria Bennett is a top student with perfect grades but no social life. She is assigned to tutor the school's newest transfer student, Jason Monroe. However, Jason is consistently late to their sessions, cocky, and resistant to being told what to do. Aria just wants to get the tutoring over with. Things take a turn when she discovers that Jason is on academic probation and risks losing his spot as the goalie on the hockey team. This revelation softens Aria's perspective on him. As their late-night tutoring sessions become a regular occurrence, Aria starts to see the vulnerabilities behind Jason's tough exterior. Meanwhile, Jason never intended to develop feelings for the girl who dresses in oversized hoodies and carries notebooks. Yet, somehow, Aria is getting under his skin and possibly into his heart.

The ninety-ninth time Jax Little broke my heart was the last time. We were the golden couple of Northgate High, our future perfectly mapped out for UCLA. But in our senior year, he fell for a new girl, Catalina, and our love story became a sick, exhausting dance of his betrayals and my empty threats to leave. At a graduation party, Catalina "accidentally" pulled me into the pool with her. Jax dove in without a second's hesitation. He swam right past me as I struggled, wrapped his arms around Catalina, and pulled her to safety. As he helped her out to the cheers of his friends, he glanced back at me, my body shivering and my mascara running in black rivers. "Your life isn't my problem anymore," he said, his voice as cold as the water I was drowning in. That night, something inside me finally shattered. I went home, opened my laptop, and clicked the button that confirmed my admission. Not to UCLA with him, but to NYU, an entire country away.

What if you fall deeply in love with someone who sees you as nothing but an inconvenience? What if he ignores every tear, every smile, every desperate attempt to matter to him? What if he crushes your hopes again and again and you still wait, foolishly, faithfully? Would you still cling to the hope that one day, he will finally love you back? But what if, just what if, the day you finally teach your heart to let him go, and he shows up begging for a second chance? Can you forgive the man who once was your heartless heartbreaker? Liana Celina Ruiz was hopelessly in love with her foster brother even at a young age. She pleaded with her foster mother to arrange their engagement and to her delight it happened. But love was never easy. It was sacrifice. Pain. Years of trying to prove her selfless love to a boy who never asked for it. Elias Joaquin Saavedra Rosario was the only heir to the Rosario fortune, a gifted artist with breathtaking looks, yet cold, distant, and ruthless. He refused to be swayed by his mother or his spoiled brat of a financèe he was supposed to marry. Instead, he vowed to show her she was mistaken, that he wasn't the man for this determined orphanage girl. Now tell me, who will win this war? The girl who gave everything? Or the boy who gave nothing but pain? Heads up: THESE TWO WILL ABSOLUTELY TEST YOUR PATIENCE. THEY'LL FRUSTRATE YOU, ANGER YOU, AND PROBABLY MAKE YOU WANT TO SCREAM. IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE CHAOS, IT'S OKAY TO STOP HERE. IF YOU CAN HANDLE IT... WELCOME TO THE FIRE.

After eight years in captivity, I was finally rescued. I thought it was the beginning of a new life with my mother. But she didn't even look at me. She ran into the arms of a handsome stranger, her real husband, and I was treated like a dirty secret from her past. They called me a contamination, a reminder of their trauma. My new stepsister set their Doberman on me, and as the dog's teeth sank into my arm, I looked up and saw my mother watching from the window. She met my eyes for a second, then slowly closed the curtains. In that moment, the last bit of hope I had died. The shallow bond of family was completely gone, and I finally gave up. But they made one mistake. The family patriarch, suspicious after a car accident, ordered a secret DNA test. The results came back on the day of my stepsister's birthday party, revealing a truth that would burn their perfect world to the ground.

The last thing I remembered was the searing heat, a pain so absolute it burned away thought. Mark' s face floated above me, twisted not with concern but with a cold, triumphant sneer. Chloe was beside him, her arm linked through his, her expression a perfect mirror of his contempt. "Thanks to you, I had the perfect seed money," Mark' s voice echoed, cold and venomous. "You' re useless now. Don' t stand in the way of my and Chloe' s empire!" Then came the push, and I fell, screaming, into the scalding, liquid fire. My world exploded into white-hot agony. When I woke, I was on the floor of my burning restaurant, The Gilded Spoon. The roaring flames, the choking smoke-it was all devastatingly familiar, a nightmare I' d already lived. But this time, I heard voices from the back storeroom. "Mark! Just make sure the accelerant cans are hidden properly! The firefighters will be here any second!" It was Chloe, panicked. "I know what I' m doing, Chloe!" Mark shot back. "The insurance report will show faulty wiring. Ava will devastatingly run right into my arms, and we' ll be on our way to New York with her life savings and that fat bank loan." Their words hit me like a physical blow. The casual cruelty, the meticulous planning-I wasn't just a casualty; I was a key ingredient in their recipe for success. The naive, trusting Ava had been boiled away in that vat of oil in a future I had already lived. Now, a singular purpose ignited within me, colder and sharper than any ice. They thought they were writing my tragedy. They had no idea I was about to rewrite theirs. I wouldn't just survive this time. I would make them burn in the very fire they had set for me.

The group home reeked of old bleach and unspoken sadness, but for nine-year-old Leo, the community center was a fragile beacon. There, Ethan, the kind program director, was a rare comfort. Then, Sarah arrived. She was sharp, detached, and moved like a cat, yet Leo saw the unspoken longing in her eyes, always fixed on Ethan. She protected Leo from schoolyard bullies, her silent strength a stark contrast to her obvious, secret pain. As Ethan' s relationship with Isabelle, a beautiful and successful lawyer, blossomed, Sarah began to crack. Her cold exterior dissolved into raw, agonizing heartbreak. he started disappearing, returning with bruised knuckles and a haunted look, battling an emotional turmoil Leo could barely comprehend. He watched her self-destruct, pouring liquor into her coffee, her vibrant potential fading into a hollow despair. When Ethan announced his engagement, Sarah' s world shattered, and Leo found her at the bus station, a one-way ticket to oblivion clutched in her hand. Desperate, Leo faked a severe asthma attack, halting her escape. It worked, but the emptiness in Sarah' s eyes remained, a silent question: how could he save someone so determined to destroy herself? What dark secret tied her to this path of slow annihilation? At the lavish wedding, as Ethan and Isabelle celebrated their future, Leo knew this was Sarah' s ultimate breaking point. He barged in, a small, scruffy kid amidst the glittering crowd, shouting about Sarah' s selfless sacrifices, her anonymous donations, her quiet devotion. The truth hung heavy in the air, forcing Ethan to see, and stirring a new resolve in Sarah. This wasn' t just about her unrequited love; it was about finally choosing herself.

I gasped awake, my throat burning. Downstairs, Mom shrieked at Dad about 'Emily' again, their usual symphony of bitterness. I was used to it, used to being Mom' s property, something she controlled, ever since she trapped Dad with a fake pregnancy years ago. She never forgave him Emily, and she never forgave me for being his daughter. But this morning, a chilling memory, vivid as real life, clung to me: peanuts, my throat closing, Mom just watching. A taste of death. It wasn't a dream. It was a premonition, my own death at her hands, if I didn't act. The thought alone sent shivers down my spine. This wasn't just a difficult mother; I saw her clearly for the first time: a monster. My heart hammered, a desperate drumbeat, as every sugary word, every controlling glance, every public humiliation she inflicted felt like a suffocating vice. Dad, weak and defeated, could only offer whispered apologies, seeing my suffering but perpetually helpless. I wouldn't be her victim anymore. I wouldn't end up on that kitchen floor, struggling for breath while she calmly watched. Not this time. My resolve hardened into something cold and sharp, a desperate decision: I had to get out, and I had to take Dad with me.