Bøger af Sandra Belton

Ernestine is too fat and acts like she can play the piano better than anyone - at least that's what Amanda thinks. Amanda is stuck-up and has a big mouth - Ernestine knows that's true. And to top it all off, Ernestine has stolen Amanda's best friend. There's no way Ernestine and Amanda will ever be friends. Now way. Music lessons, church, the Delta Sigma Theta Jabberwock, a party, a piano competition, and the truly gross fact that Ernestine's brother is dating Amanda's sister keep bringing the two girls together. And somehow they don't end up hating each other as much as they expected. As they go through fifth grade, Ernestine and Amanda find out more and more about each other, and about themselves. They're not friends. But they're not quite enemies either. They're something in-between, and they are growing up together.

"McKendree ain't a who. It's a place." So begins this story about a group of teens who, for a variety of reasons, end up spending their summer at a lonely home for the elderly in the hills of West Virginia. "... As told by fourteen-year-old Tilara and the others, this is also a tale of tangled summer romance, an element which transcends predictability as it unfolds entertainingly through the multiple perspectives of the characters... what distinguishes this book is its honest exploration of prejudice as it exists within a culture-and perhaps still does." - Kirkus, starred review "... A touching coming-of-age drama set in 1948... Through the multiple perspectives of the young people, readers see that outward appearances are often deceiving. The plot hangs delicately but tenaciously-like wisteria on a pine-on the theme of true beauty and self acceptance. McKendree fills an all-too-often forgotten niche, and provides a good sounding board for teens who are going through a similar exploration of self." - School Library Journal - Bank Street College of Education Josette Frank Award - Best Children's Books of 2000 - Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies

"Belton does an admirable job of letting Leah describe her despair and the alienation she feels from her parents, especially her mother, whose own grief makes her seem insensitive to Leah... Readers who have experienced the complex range of emotions brought on by a tragedy of this nature will appreciate Belton's sensitive depiction of loss." Kirkus Reviews "When sophomore Leah's beloved older brother, Luce, who was adopted, dies in a car accident, she tries to cope with her overwhelming grief. Did Luce ever want to find his birth parents? Should she look for them? Her best friend and her boyfriend help her carry on, and Dad and her grandma are there for her. Mama, however, is distant... Leah's first-person, present-tense narrative expresses her intense feelings in plain poetic words that express the happy adoptive family story as well as the sorrow, jealous, anger, and love... although there's no neat resolution, and as the book's title makes clear, some people are insensitive and crude when it comes to talking about adoption, Belton's powerful novel opens up the meaning of "real" family." Booklist "Leah, tenth-grade Chicagoan, and her parents are devastated following the accidental death of Luce, Leah's adopted older brother. Luce had been a particularly gifted and well-liked young man - the light his name indicates. Leah decides to seek Luce's birth family; unexpectedly, her search helps her come to a better understanding of the special relationship Luce and her own parents shared - so special that Leah questions whether her mother loves her as much as she obviously loved Luce. While she is engaged in finding Luce's family, she begins a relationship with Aaron, a gentle, understanding boy who contributes to her healing. Leah's voice is consistent throughout, and her misery and confusion are palpable... Cultural cues and passing descriptions suggest to the reader that Leah and her family are African American; however, the ethnicity of the characters is not a factor in this story where the pain of loss and the healing power of truth and love are the primary themes." Horn Book Review

His Private Counsel: Encouragement for the Spirit is a collection of poems with a corresponding devotion. The poems and devotions are uplifting for various times in your life. God is love. When we go through difficult experiences, it is so easy to question if God loves us. He created His Word to be that guidance to overcome these challenges. His Word also expresses how much He really loves us. He wants the best for His children just as we identify with wanting the best for the children we love in our lives. No matter what we are facing, He is still there and He still loves us dearly. May the writings and scriptures remind you that you are loved by God, how special you are, and how you are able to overcome and rise to victory. It's a book that can be a blessing to you and to others as a gift of encouragement