Jesse is a dreamer.

At fourteen he's already thinking about his future, and the excitement of Navy life is calling him.

Lucy is just the opposite.

She can't imagine ever leaving her beloved mountainside community or saying good-bye to those she cares about.

But despite their desires, these two best friends know that their futures have been decided for them. The year is 1820, and Jesse's parents expect him to continue in the family tradition of working at the forge on the mountain, while Lucy's father expects her to marry someone outside their community and find a better, more sophisticated life somewhere else. So what happens when family expectations clash with what's in a teenager's heart? Is it possible to find a balance between one's destiny and one's dreams -- or must these two friends risk everything to create their own path to happiness?

Hearts of Iron is a moving novel about family, friendship, the power of love, and the few precious opportunities we're given to set the course of our life.

...

Twelve-year-old Samantha likes to memorize fun and weird facts. She's constantly spouting quotes from her fact books, such as the size of the largest bubble-gum bubble blown through the nose or how jelly gets into a donut. But Sam does not like the fact that she has to spend a month of her summer vacation at her grandparents' place while her parents are away!

She adores her grandmother, but Grandma will be at work most of the time, leaving Sam with the Colonel, her prickly grandfather. Sam's relationship with him is shaky at best, and now that the Colonel has had to retire from his career as a military pilot, he is harder than ever to get along with. Sam soon finds that her grandfather's behavior is even stranger than she expected. He keeps disappearing into the woods for long stretches of time and won't let Sam go into the barn. Obviously the Colonel is hiding a big secret, and Sam is eager to solve the mystery. Reluctantly, she accepts help from Billy Burnham, a classmate she can't decide if she likes or hates. Together, they discover the Colonel's secret. Will Sam let the cat out of the bag and ruin her grandfather's plans? Or will her grandfather relent and let his granddaughter help him finish what he's started?...

Sam and his grandpa relive the Samson's adventures on the high seas. Kathleen Benner Duble uses actual events to weave a tale about the Samson and its many voyages, from the witnessing of the Titanic's demise to the rescue of Shakleton's men to an appearance at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. A mix of sepia tones and lush watercolors place readers on the high seas at the helm of adventure....

When seventeen-year-old John Hudson sets sail aboard the Discovery with his father, Henry Hudson, he is eager to explore the open seas and the New World. He is not, however, anxious to leave behind his girlfriend, Isabella Digges, a nobleman's daughter. But Isabella has adventures of her own in store as an undercover spy for the king. And while Richard Hudson simply wants his older brother, John, to come home to London, John's shipmate Seth Syms is desperate to avoid returning to the city any time soon.

The key to their futures lies in the hands of John's father. But as Henry Hudson's obsession to find the Northwest Passage to Asia grows, so does the unrest of those around him -- both at sea and at home. Letters, diary entries, and personal narratives spill mutinous and surprising secrets, while revealing a struggle of hope, heartbreak, and survival.

Through the use of four alternating viewpoints, Kathleen Benner Duble brings historical and fictional personalities to life, showing the widespread waves of one real-life and unpredictable voyage....

In the year 1692, life changes forever for ten-year-old Abigail Faulkner and her family. In Salem, Massachusetts, witches have been found, and widespread fear and panic reign mere miles from Abigail's home of Andover. When two girls are brought from Salem to identify witches in Andover, suspicion sweeps the town as well-respected members of the community are accused of witchcraft. It isn't long before chaos consumes Andover, and the Faulkners find themselves in the center of it all when friend turns themselves in the center of it all when friend turns against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a desperate fight for the truth. At the heart of this gripping story are Abigail and her sister, Dorothy, who together must find a way to persevere during a period marked by terror, adversity, and ignorance.

Told from Abigail's point of view and based on actual events in the author's own family histoy, The Sacrifice offers a unique perspective of the Salem witch trials by delving into the devestating effects the trials had not just in Salem but throughout Massachusetts....

In the year 1692, life changes forever for ten-year-old Abigail Faulkner and her family. In Salem, Massachusetts, witches have been found, and widespread fear and panic reign mere miles from Abigail's home of Andover. When two girls are brought from Salem to identify witches in Andover, suspicion sweeps the town as well-respected members of the community are accused of witchcraft. It isn't long before chaos consumes Andover, and the Faulkners find themselves in the center of it all when friend turns themselves in the center of it all when friend turns against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a desperate fight for the truth. At the heart of this gripping story are Abigail and her sister, Dorothy, who together must find a way to persevere during a period marked by terror, adversity, and ignorance.

Told from Abigail's point of view and based on actual events in the author's own family histoy, The Sacrifice offers a unique perspective of the Salem witch trials by delving into the devestating effects the trials had not just in Salem but throughout Massachusetts....

Sam and his grandpa relive the Samson's adventures on the high seas. Kathleen Benner Duble uses actual events to weave a tale about the Samson and its many voyages, from the witnessing of the Titanic's demise to the rescue of Shakleton's men to an appearance at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. A mix of sepia tones and lush watercolors place readers on the high seas at the helm of adventure....

In the year 1692, life changes forever for ten-year-old Abigail Faulkner and her family. In Salem, Massachusetts, witches have been found, and widespread fear and panic reign mere miles from Abigail's home of Andover. When two girls are brought from Salem to identify witches in Andover, suspicion sweeps the town as well-respected members of the community are accused of witchcraft. It isn't long before chaos consumes Andover, and the Faulkners find themselves in the center of it all when friend turns themselves in the center of it all when friend turns against friend, neighbor against neighbor, in a desperate fight for the truth. At the heart of this gripping story are Abigail and her sister, Dorothy, who together must find a way to persevere during a period marked by terror, adversity, and ignorance.

Told from Abigail's point of view and based on actual events in the author's own family histoy, The Sacrifice offers a unique perspective of the Salem witch trials by delving into the devestating effects the trials had not just in Salem but throughout Massachusetts....