Kathleen Duey – författare

A rushing river with rapidly rising waters threatens the lives—and life savings—of two resourceful kids in this thrilling entry in the middle grade historical fiction Survivors series.For years, Garret and Molly have dreamed of seeing more of the world than cotton fields and the dusty poverty of their 1920s Mississippi Delta farms. They’ve been stashing away hard-earned pennies and nickels in a tin-can bank, hidden deep in the bayou. Now rising flood waters threaten the hiding place of their money, and they set out on their homemade raft to retrieve it. But the raging Mississippi River has other plans, and suddenly Garrett and Molly find themselves in a deadly battle with the dangerous currents and roiling rapids of the debris-strewn water—fighting not only for their life savings but for their lives.

Joined by Hiram the farmhand, Katie begins the journey west. At first, she is unsure if the Mustang will follow, but much to her relief, he seems to trust her. Soon, Katie and Hiram meet up with a large family who invite them to join their caravan. For the first time, it seems as though they might really make it to Oregon. But then tragedy strikes, and Katie finds herself having to choose between parting ways with Hiram, or abandoning her dreams of going west&150and giving up on the chance to return the Mustang to his homeland.

The third book in the Hoofbeats series focusing on Katie!Katie knows she has come too far to give up. Taken under the Kylers'' wing, she stays close to the Mustang and clings to her dream of finding her uncle. Then a particularly bad river crossing leaves their guide crippled and their group diminished. Knowing that there is strength in numbers, they join forces with a traveling circus troupe, and somehow make it to Fort Laramie.

The fourth book in the Hoofbeats series focusing on Katie!With trepidation, Katie continues Westward with the Kylers. The mountainous terrain makes for difficult traveling, and they arrive in Oregon shortly before the winter snows hit. While the Kylers and the others begin the search for land, Katie''s worst fears are confirmed. Her uncle is not there. Then she realizes that she has brought the Mustang home, and she cannot keep him with her anymore. Left with no family and without the Mustang to rely on, Katie must find her own way...

Nine-year-old Lara is the daughter of the r?-the leader of her cattle-raising clan. While she spends her days tending to the cattle, her heart lies with her beloved gray mare. When Lara goes to the highlands to set the cattle out to graze, she finds the mare in the process of a difficult birth. Lara vows to take care of the foal as a dying promise to the gray mare, and with the help of a childless milk-cow, she cares for the spindly-legged filly. But just when she is confident that the foal can survive, a rival clan captures them both, and throws Lara''s life into turmoil. When the filly is eventually given to a titled baron in the castle town of Athenry, Lara, determined to stay with the horse no matter what, goes along. Together, she and her beloved horse face seemingly insurmountable challenges, but all along Lara keeps two things in mind. One day, she will manage to flee, and will set off in search of the family that she was taken from. And she will not leave without her silver mare.

Orphaned at age six and taken in by a heartless couple, nine-year-old Katie Rose spends her days doing chores and dreaming of going west to find her Uncle Jack. Then Mr. Stevens brings home an unbroken Mustang, and Katie''s world changes. Katie is drawn to the horse''s wildness, and he seems to sense her need for companionship. So when Katie learns that the Stevenses plan to join the expansion West&150without her or the Mustang&150she makes a desperate decision to go on her own. And she will not leave the Mustang behind.

It has been a long, hard winter, and the Gypsies are glad to be leaving Lord Levin''s mountains for the sunny plains of Lord Kaybale''s lands. But that means time is running out for Heart. The old stories say that Castle Avamir is higher than the clouds, deep in a valley, under the stars, and over the moon. It makes no sense -- but if Heart can''t solve the riddle, she might never find a safe haven for her beloved unicorns.

In the beautiful armor Joseph Lequire has created for Moonsilver, no one can tell he is a unicorn. It''s safe for Heart to travel to Bidenfast, where she hopes to find her Gypsy friends. But the streets are jammed with people in town for the crowning of the new Lord Irmaedith, and the young lord himself takes a special interest in the unicorns. Will Heart be able to keep her secret?

It’s 1865 and the war is over, but the hardship and suffering have not ended for Emma, whose mother is dead and father is missing. With her brother and sister, Emma boards the Sultana, a paddle wheel steamboat, hoping to find refuge in St. Louis with relatives. After Yankee soldiers returning north from Confederate prisons are crowded aboard the boat, disaster shatters Emma’s hopes. Fighting for her life in the flooded Mississippi, Emma discovers courage she did not know she possessed.

The year is 1875, and twelve-year-old orphan Margret and her sister, Libby, are living with the kind Mrs. Fredriksen in her sod house in rural Littleton, Colorado. Margret would be happy to stay forever, but she knows that Libby, with her basic distrust of anyone other than Margret, will have them moving soon enough. Then a tornado sweeps through, bringing with it an injured horse. Immediately Margret lays claim to the horse, naming him Flynn, nursing him back to health, and teaching herself to ride. Now more than ever, Margret yearns for some stability in her life. Somehow, she’s got to find a way to convince Libby to stay so she can make Flynn hers. Powerfully written and historically accurate, this is a great addition to the series that’s tailor-made for girls who love horses and historical fiction.

Faerie princess Alida and Gavin, the human boy who helped her escape from Lord Dunraven’s castle, are desperate to find Alida’s family, now living in a hidden place where the banished faerie community has resettled. Alida and Gavin’s friendship grows stronger as they face cold and rain and the constant threat of Lord Dunraven’s guards. And now that Alida’s escape has put the fragile peace between Lord Dunraven and the faeries in jeopardy, will her family welcome her?

In simultaneous hardcover and paperback editions, the final book in a four-book chapter book series, a companion to The Unicorn''s Secret. The faeries have returned to their beloved meadow near the village of Ash Grove. Winter is coming and they are working hard to prepare for the storms—and to stay hidden. Alida saved the villagers'' crops from Lord Dunraven''s greed, but now the people of Ash Grove know that the faeries have returned. Will they tell Lord Dunraven’s guards? The faeries live in fear of being discovered and Alida wants desperately to find a way to make her family safer. Then a frightening accident in the woods outside Ash Grove brings even more danger, and an opportunity for Alida to forge a friendship that could change the faeries'' lives forever. The risk is terrible—Alida can only follow her heart.

Unicorns are now free, but other magical folk are still in hiding—except for one faerie, Alida, who is a prisoner in Lord Dunraven’s castle. That is, until she escapes and a fierce struggle begins. Alida fights to free the faeries from the terrible promise they were forced to make to Lord Dunraven—but Lord Dunraven is desperate to continue denying his people the hope they derive from the existence of magical beings.

Alida has escaped Lord Dunraven’s castle and defied his law to find her exiled faerie family. Using new magic to protect themselves, Alida and her family make the dangerous journey home, back to their beloved meadow near the human village of Ash Grove. When Dunraven’s greed threatens the villagers with starvation, Alida wants to help them. But if Lord Dunraven’s guards find out that fairies are helping humans, her family will be in terrible danger.

The Titanic -- April 14, 1912 Gavin Reilly is working in the Titanic''s galley to earn his passage from Ireland to America. He can''t wait to join his brother in New York. He has big dreams and bigger ambitions. Karolina Green is returning home to the States with her Aunt Rose after the death of her parents in England. She wants, more than anything, to mend her shattered life in New York. On a calm, clear April night their hopes and dreams turn into a nightmare -- like those of hundreds of other passengers on the Titanic. Rich and poor, famous and unknown, the people aboard the Titanic find themselves at the mercy of a cold seathat even the greatest ship ever built can''t conquer. Few will live to remember the disaster the world still can''t forget -- will Gavin and Karolina be among the survivors?

Can two kids survive the flames of the great Chicago Fire of 1871? Find out in this riveting historical fiction, part of the Survivor series.Nate Copper and his best friend Ryan love to sneak out at night to watch firefighters battle the blazes that have plagued Chicago all through the dry, windy summer of 1871. Wealthy Julie Flynn, suffocated by her overprotective parents, can’t imagine adventures like Nate’s—and he’s definitely not a boy she would ever be friends with. But fate and fire throw Nate and Julie together on the dark and dangerous streets of Chicago, and in the chaos of the crowds, Julie is kidnapped. Nate has to try to figure out a way to free her before the wind-driven flames spreading across the city cut off their only chance of escape. Will Nate and Julie be able to survive?

Can two kids survive the biggest disaster of 1906? Find out in this gripping tale of historical fiction, part of the Survivors series.Brendan O’Connor is delivering pastries to the bustling businesses and elegant hotels of San Francisco, dreaming that someday he will be part of that life. Li Dai Yue is running from the isolated security of Chinatown, distraught over the marriage her uncle has arranged for her. Chance throws them together on the day of the San Francisco earthquake. Can two strangers from such different worlds work together to survive the terror of crumbling buildings, fire, looting, and chaos?

A raging snow storm creates the coldest kind of danger for two kids in this riveting tale of historical fiction, part of the Survivor series.Haydn Sinclair hates absolutely everything about his aunt and uncle’s primitive Rocky Mountain ranch. He’d much rather be in a great city than stuck on the countryside. Haydn’s cousin Maggie hates the thought of having her rich and spoiled cousin visiting for four long months. She’d be happier if he wasn’t around. When Maggie’s father is injured and she and Haydn are left alone, they argue, and Haydn sets off on foot for the train station miles away. The next day Maggie learns that Haydn never made it to town, and she must search for him despite the blizzard that is raging outside. But even if she can find him, will they be able to survive freezing nights, vicious winds, and the constant threat of snow slides?

A rushing river with rapidly rising waters threatens the lives—and life savings—of two resourceful kids in this thrilling tale of historical fiction, part of the Survivors series.For years, Garret and Molly have dreamed of seeing more of the world than cotton fields and the dusty poverty of their Mississippi Delta farms. They’ve been stashing away hard-earned pennies and nickels in a tin-can bank, hidden deep in the bayou. Now rising flood waters threaten the hiding place of their money, and they set out on their homemade raft to retrieve it. But the raging Mississippi has other plans, and suddenly Garrett and Molly find themselves in a deadly battle with the dangerous currents and roiling rapids of their debris-strewn river—fighting not for their life savings, but for their lives.

Two friends struggle to survive the treacherous journey across the snake- and alligator-infested Louisiana bayou in the seventh book in the Survivors series.Bayou Teche, 1851. No one in Lily LeGrand’s Cajun community is willing to help search for Paul Courville, who is missing in the bayou along with his mean-spirited older brothers, William and Mark. Why should they? Paul’s wealthy plantation-owner father has made no secret of his disdain for Cajuns. But Paul has always been kind to Lily, defending her against his brothers’ merciless taunts and humiliating pranks—and Lily refuses to turn her back on him when his life is in danger. On her own in the maze of the dangerous bayou, Lily knows she has more to fear than her father’s wrath. Her treacherous journey will test both her knowledge of the swamp and her courage. Can she find Paul before it’s too late?

A brother and sister struggle to survive a harrowing trip across Death Valley—the most dangerous part of the Mojave Desert and the hottest spot in North America—in this riveting tale of historical fiction, part of the Survivors series.California, 1849: Jess, Will, and their father are in grave danger—separated from the rest of their west-bound party, their wagon is useless with a broken axle, and Pa is seriously ill from an injury that Will feels is his fault.In a valiant attempt to save their family, Will and Jess set off on foot over the endless sands to find help. Each day of their journey brings a new peril, but nothing more frightening than the constant, overpowering thirst that muddles their minds and threatens their very will to survive. With so much at stake, can Will and Jess win their desperate battle with the unrelenting desert?

Can two kids survive the events that follow a dangerous circus train wreck? Find out in this eighth riveting tale of historical fiction, part of the Survivors series.Kansas, 1892. The circus is the first home where Maximo has ever felt safe. He dreams of becoming an animal trainer and envies Jodi—a girl who was born and raised in the circus and is already an accomplished performer. But ever since Jodi’s mom was injured, Jodi has been unable to get back on the high wire. When a train wreck sets a herd of elephants and a dangerous Bengal tiger loose on the countryside, both Max and Jodi must face their worst fears. Can they conquer their terror and survive the longest night of their lives?