"Disturbing and magical....with a grace and eloquence." - NPR Books "Full of lush, mesmerizing detail and keen insight into the easy intimacy between young girls which disappears with adulthood." -- The New Yorker "The Strays is a knowing novel, and beautifully done." -- Meg Wolitzer, New York Times bestselling author of The Interestings For readers of Atonement, a hauntingly powerful story about the fierce friendship between three sisters and their friend as they grow up on the outskirts of their parents' wild and bohemian artistic lives. On her first day at a new school, Lily befriends Eva and her sisters Beatrice and Heloise, daughters of the infamous avant-garde painter Evan Trentham. An only child from an unremarkable, working-class family, Lily has never experienced a household like the Trenthams'--a community of like-minded artists Evan and his wife have created, all living and working together to escape the stifling conservatism of 1930's Australia. And Lily has never met anyone like Eva, whose unabashed confidence and worldly knowledge immediately draw her in. Infatuated by the creative chaos of the Trenthams and the artists who orbit them, Lily aches to fully belong in their world, craving something beyond her own ordinary life. She becomes a fixture in their home, where she and Eva spend their days lounging in the garden, filching cigarettes and wine, and skirting the fringes of the adults' glamorous lives, who create scandalous art during the day and host lavish, debauched parties by night. But as seductive as the artists' utopian vision appears, behind it lies both darkness and dysfunction. And the further the girls are pulled in, the greater the consequences become. With elegance and vibrancy, The Strays evokes the intense bonds of girlhood friendships, the volatile undercurrents of a damaged family, and the yearning felt by an outsider looking in.

When a house fire strikes and destroys the home of four Labrador retriever puppies, they suddenly become orphans on the unforgiving streets. Dazed and confused, and not nearly old enough to know anything about survival, they must learn the hard way the life of a stray. They must band together as a family in order to find food, shelter, and to protect each other from the harshness of street life. They must support one another through trial and tribulation, through hope and hardship, through loss and love; and all the while retain their faith that God has a plan for them. Their true purpose is out there, beyond the life of a stray, waiting to be discovered.

The Land of the Strays, sequel to The Land of the Pines, is a new instant classic about the battle for self-worth and the difference between wants and needs. There is no guarantee that life will be better on the other side. Even still, we all face moments that force us to choose whether to stay where we are or take a massive leap of faith. These moments move quickly yet feel eternal, and they forever change the course of our lives. Just ask Grey the Kitten. Grey didn’t know when she leapt through the gate to leave Black Mountain Farm that she’d meet a Labrador who could hear the inner thoughts of other animals. Grey had no idea that she’d bear witness to a kidnapping or that her newfound friends would test her loyalty on the Trinity Trails. She had no clue that she was jumping into an epic battle that would alter the future of everyone around her. Grey didn’t leave her beloved farm and friends behind for any of these reasons. She left because it was her destiny. Now Grey must decide whose side she’s really on: the leashes or the strays. The leashes live at the Argos, a high-rise building named after the dog of an ancient warrior. From a poncho-clad Poodle to a rhinestone-born Bengal, the leashes seem to have everything they could ever want. But at the Argos, nothing is what it seems. In stark contrast, the strays belong to a different class: the “Stray Club.” The first rule among the leashes is that you don’t talk to or about the Stray Club. Grey’s never been good at following the rules. The Land of the Strays inspires audiences of all ages to see beyond stereotypes, engage with empathy, and connect as a united front. This fantasy tale addresses complex topics including mind chatter and false narrative to combat social media pressures and remind readers that the battle for self-worth is universal, fought by all, and rooted in the power of words. The Land of the Strays is dedicated to the US military and frontline responders, honoring the men, women and animals who serve our country every day. A portion of sales from the Loodor Tales Series, featuring The Land of the Pines and The Land of the Strays, benefits Operation Kindness, celebrating 45 years of saving homeless pets.

'Sunshine in book form' – Daily Mail 'A joyfully escapist celebration of friendship and freedom' – Mail on Sunday 'Delightful, heartwarming . . . An especially welcome reminder of the bright spots even in dark times' – NPR Paras is a spirited young racehorse living in a stable in the French countryside. That is until one afternoon when she pushes open the gate of her stall and, travelling through the night, arrives quite by chance in the dazzling streets of Paris. She soon meets a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, two irrepressible ducks and an opinionated crow, and life amongst the animals in the city’s lush green spaces is enjoyable for a time. But everything changes when Paras meets a human boy, Étienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the secluded, ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother live quietly and keep to themselves. As the cold weather of Christmas nears, the unlikeliest of friendships blooms between human and animals. But how long can a runaway horse live undiscovered in Paris? And how long can one boy keep her all to himself? Charming and beguiling in equal measure, Jane Smiley’s novel celebrates the intrinsic need for friendship, love and freedom, whoever you may be . . . From Jane Smiley, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Thousand Acres, The Strays of Paris is a captivating story of a group of extraordinary animals – and one little boy – whose lives cross paths in Paris.

A group of children in a quiet Florida town try to help their friend whose father won't let her finish high school.

With the help of his older brother, Ethan cares for the stray cats he encounters on the way to school.

Sara and Anna Olson awaken each morning without the comfort of their parents love. Orphaned at a young age, theyve tried their best to find a sense of safety and security within the foster system. At nine and eleven, they know more about the world than children twice their ageand its a knowledge they have paid dearly to earn. Inspired by true events, their story is one of survival, but its also one of friendship, sisterhood, and hope. They must find the strength to face the world with courage and faith. Amid the tattered remains of their innocence, the sisters know that no matter what else life delivers, they can always count on each other. When their ever-shifting world is rocked by three wood-splintering knocks on the door one cold, autumn night, the sisters flee into the darkness, alone and terrified. What could drive them into the frigid night air? On that night, Sara makes a promise to her sister, one she spends her whole life trying to keep. But it may be a promise that is destined to be broken.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1881.

Celebrated folklorist and author Jim Hoy has spent most of his life living in the heart of the famed Flint Hills of Kansas and documenting and celebrating his fellow Kansans and plains folk. Like rounding up stray cattle in a rolling pasture, Hoy has gathered over a hundred stray stories, tales without a single theme or unified narrative, and corraled them up here for the very first time. Branding these stories in sections like Cattle Towns, Outlaws, and Cowboy Music, Hoy’s vignettes teach, excite, charm, and instill a deep pride in anyone fortunate enough to have lived on the Great Plains. In Gathering Strays, Hoy gives us a collection of stories about Kansas, the Great Plains, and Western life that reflect his life-long love of the land, experience, and history of the region. Hoy introduces us to folks like Elmer McCurdy, a failed train robber whose arsenic-embalmed body went on tour and made money for the undertaker, and Ame Cole, who scolded Russian Grand Duke Alexis on his table manners. Writing as an easygoing storyteller, Hoy covers familiar areas like rodeos and cattle drives, takes us from Dodge City to Beer City and everywhere in between, explains why Kansas has the best state song in the nation, and expands our picture of cowboys with stories of Australian drovers, Black cowboys, and Mexican vaqueros. Throughout, his easy-to-read yet authoritative style describes the people, places, and events that make the region so distinctive and celebrated. Gathering Strays will be hailed by anyone interested in the heroes and villains, towns and ranges, and myths and legends of the West.