Katherine Ayres – författare

During the Great Depression, a boy who faces bullying stumbles upon a mystery and comes of age in this novel that integrates fact and opinion and has a rich 1930’s vocabulary. Extra material: An Author’s Note is included in the back of the book.Mike Costa has lived his whole life in The Strip, Pittsburgh’s warehouse and factory district. His father’s large Italian family runs a food wholesale business, and Mike is used to the sounds and smells of men working all night to unload the trains that feed the city. But it’s 1933, and the Depression is bringing tough times to everyone. Money problems only add to Mike’s worries about his beloved grandfather, who is getting forgetful and confused.     Mike is being tormented at school by a loud-mouth named Andy Simms, who calls Mike “Macaroni Boy.” But when dead rats start appearing in the streets, that name changes to “Rat Boy.” Around the same time Mike notices that his grandfather is also physically sick. Can whatever is killing the rats be hurting Mike’s grandfather? It’s a mystery Mike urgently needs to solve in this atmospheric, fast-paced story filled with vibrant period detail.From the Hardcover edition.

It''s 1851 and Lucy Spencer''s family is keeping a secret. Their Ohio home is a station on the Underground Railroad, the network of people and places that helps fugitive slaves escape to freedom in Canada. Lucy believes in what she and her family do to help the fugitives, even if it means putting herself in danger.So Lucy doesn''t hesitate when she is asked to stay with the Widow Aurelia Mercer and help her with a family of runaway slaves hiding in her attic. And she learns so much from her experience--about growing up, love, and standing on her own. But what will Lucy do when she is asked to make the ultimate sacrifice and leave all she loves behind?

At the outbreak of World War II, a twelve-year-old girl comes up with an idea to help the war effortAmerica has just entered World War II, and everyone in Charlotte Campbell''s family is doing his or her part, either abroad or in the Pennsylvania factory town where the Campbells live. Charlotte''s brother Jim has enlisted in the navy, and her mother works in Braddock''s local war plant. Her dad guides tugboats filled with supplies up the Monongahela River. Eager to contribute to the war effort—besides saving to buy defense stamps—Charlotte organizes a scrap metal drive like the ones all over the country. She and her sixth-grade classmates start collecting old junk and soon have so much that they have to store it in the school basement . . . until someone steals all the metal. Charlotte is determined to find the thief and get back the precious scraps. Her younger brother Robbie supplies a list of potential suspects, from the school janitor to a fellow fourth grader. Some of the kids think it might be Charlotte''s German friend Betsy. But when they set a trap for the culprit, Charlotte has to face the fear that''s been giving her nightmares since childhood. This ebook includes a historical afterword.

An eleven-year-old immigrant must clear her name when things start disappearing from a Boston settlement houseInnocenza Moretti''s parents died in a fire when she was two. Ever since, she''s lived with her grandmother and seven lodgers in the flat downstairs from her aunt, uncle, and cousins in a crowded tenement in Boston''s North End. Innie''s world changes when she and her cousin Teresa become members of a settlement house where immigrant girls can learn more about American life. Best of all, they''ll get to participate in a library club. At school, Innie has to share books with two or three other girls. Having her own books would be like eating Sunday dinner every day. The girls'' first assignment at the settlement house is unpacking books that had to be moved because of the recent fire that tore through the city. But now valuable things are vanishing: a pottery mug. A silver teapot. Money. And the prime suspect is Innie! With the help of Teresa and their new friend Matela Rosen, Innie searches for the real culprit. A secret tunnel under Copp''s Hill Burying Ground leads them to a surprising thief. This ebook includes a historical afterword.