New Releases by Catherine Friend

Ghosts aren’t real, time travel isn’t possible, and aliens do not live among us. This has been Gwen Tucker’s mantra since childhood, but when she—completely without artistic skill—visits an old Spanish fort to sketch as part of a fundraising challenge, something invisible takes control of her hand and draws a series of stunning images: a man dressed as Hamlet, herself being held at gunpoint, and her wife Billie being attacked. Being possessed by a ghost was not on Gwen’s bucket list, but she must finally admit that ghosts might be real, and one is obviously trying to send her a message. With the help of Billie and the local paranormal group, Gwen struggles to figure out why they’re in danger. Their progress is hampered by an unfriendly neighbor, an irritating colleague, and a stepbrother with a hidden agenda. Just as the confusion ramps up, Billie disappears. Gwen and Billie must answer the question: Would you sacrifice everything to save the woman you love?

When her parents swap urban life in Minneapolis for rural life on a farm 100 miles away, twelve-year-old Taylor feels as if she is living on another planet.

"Stranded! Fisherman Ernie Hazard found himself all alone on the ocean in the middle of a gigantic storm. There was no one to help him survive, so he had to help himself." -- Back cover.

"What would you risk your life to protect? For Mohammed, the answer was books."--Back cover.

"Look under some moss, and what do you see? Probably nothing, but there''s a tiny animal living there that looks like a cartoon creature. It''s much too small to see without a microscope. Yet it''s one of the toughest animals on the planet."--page 4 of cover.

"It looks like ... no, it can''t be ... but it is! It''s fossilized poo that a dinosaur left behind millions of years ago. And scientists can''t wait to study it."--Back cover.

"Ready, set, jump! Could you leap from a mountaintop and land on a narrow ledge 12 feet (3.7 meters) below? For a mountain goat, it''s easy! Meet a champion rock climber of the animal world." -- Back cover.

"Could I be a farmer? I''d been bitten by a duck, chased by sheep, and kicked by goats. It was time to find out if I was tough enough for this job."--Back cover.

Describes how the skin, nerve cells, and brain work together to create the sense of touch.

"Troublemaker or superhero? Beavers are cute. They''re hardworking. And they don''t mean to cause any trouble."--Back cover.

Jamie Maddox is worried about her grip on reality. Has her consciousness really been transported back to 1560, landing in the body of Blanche Nottingham? Not good, since Blanche, a lady-in-waiting for Queen Elizabeth I, is plotting a murder. The other possibility that Jamie faces? She’s had a psychotic break that has trapped her in an Elizabethan fantasy while another personality—let’s call her Blanche—has taken control of Jamie’s life and is jeopardizing everything. Jamie is repeatedly zapped back and forth between the present and 1560 (or in and out of that twisted fantasy). Betrayal, murder, thunderstorms, and two doctors complicate everything as Jamie and Blanche battle to control Jamie’s body. Just as Jamie is running out of both hope and time, help—and love—come from a most unexpected place.

The ancient Chimú believed their people came from three eggs: the rulers from a gold egg, their wives from a silver, and the workers from a copper egg. Archaeologist Claire Adams receives a mysterious package that lures her to Peru in search of a treasure-filled tomb. She must find the tomb before looters do. She’s helped in her quest by old friends and by a strange connection to an ancient copper egg. Claire’s ex, Sochi Castillo, has her own plans for the tomb. She has two jobs—one within the law, one considerably outside it. If Claire finds the treasure first, Sochi is going to steal it. As Claire and Sochi are drawn into a web of intrigue, betrayal, and greed, they discover that love complicates everything.

"Elevator to the rescue. Nathan needs money for a new soccer uniform. Can a broken elevator really be the answer?"--Page 4 of cover.

What do you do when you love your farm . . . but it doesn''t love you? After fifteen years of farming, Catherine Friend is tired. After all, while shepherding is one of the oldest professions, it''s not getting any easier. The number of sheep in America has fallen by 90 percent in the last ninety years. But just as Catherine thinks it''s time to hang up her shepherd''s crook, she discovers that sheep might be too valuable to give up. What ensues is a funny, thoughtful romp through the history of our woolly friends, why small farms are important, and how each one of us -- and the planet -- would benefit from being very sheepish, indeed.

For most of her life, Catherine Friend was a carnivore who preferred not to consider where the meat on her plate came from--beef didn''t have a face, chicken didn''t have a personality, and pork certainly shouldn''t have feelings. But Friend''s attitude began to change after she and her partner bought a farm and began raising sheep for meat. Friend''s ensuing odyssey through the world of livestock and farming is a journey that offers critical insights--for omnivores and herbivores alike--into how our meat is raised, how we buy it and from whom, and why change is desirable and possible. From a distressing lesson about her favorite Minnesota State Fair food (pork-chop-on-a-stick) to the surprising gratitude that came from eating an animal she''d raised and loved, Friend takes us on a wild and woolly ride through her small farm (with several brief detours into life on factory farms), along the way raising questions such as: What are the differences between factory, conventional, sustainable, and organic farms, and more importantly, why do we need to understand those differences? What do all those labels -- from organic to local to grass fed and pasture raised -- really mean? If you''re buying from a small farmer, what are the key questions to ask? How do you find that small farmer, and what''s the best way to help her help you? In the same witty and warm style that characterized her memoir Hit by a Farm,Friend uses her perspective as a sustainable farmer and carnivore to consider meat animals'' quality of life--while still supporting the choice to eat meat. Regardless of whether you eat meat once a day, once a week, or once a year, your perspective of what goes on your plate--and in your mouth--will never be the same.

Four women, a long-lost treasure, and more than one thief of hearts share a destiny beyond time. To foil a map thief, librarian Emma Boyd searches for a pirate''s long-lost treasure map. She''s aided in her search by investigator Randi Marx, who proves to be as frustrating as she is beautiful. The treasure map Emma and Randi seek belonged to Thomasina Farris, a pirate who disappeared from the Caribbean in 1715. Did Captain Tommy steal an entire treasure from a Spanish galleon and escape? Was she convicted of piracy and hanged by her neck? Did she die of a broken heart when she lost the woman she loved? In her race to find the map, Emma learns that pirates not only steal treasure, but they also steal hearts. When Emma discovers Captain Tommy''s fate, she must decide her own as well, choosing between romance...or revenge.

It''s tempting to describe the action in The Crown of Valencia, but then we''d reveal spoilers from The Spanish Pearl. Just know that once again, Kate Vincent finds herself in a mess, both romantically and time travel-wise. Romance, betrayal, intrigue, disobedient children,and religious fanaticism pack this tense conclusion to the epic adventure begun in The Spanish Pearl.

When Kate Vincent and her partner travel to Spain, Kate is accidentally transported back in time...way back in time...to 1085. What does a woman like Kate do in a world of no antibiotics, no feminism, no Diet Coke? She denies it as long as possible, then sets her mind to getting home. Tricky with her now useless twenty-first century skills. Things don''t go well. Kate is captured by a band of mercenary soldiers and becomes an unwitting pawn in the violent conflict between the Catholic kings and the Islamic Moors. In her struggle to stay alive and return to the future, Kate must flee exotic harems, filthy dungeons, and treacherous Moorish courts. But when a sword-brandishing woman with an astonishing secret sweeps into Kate''s life, Kate is suddenly torn between two women, and between two centuries. The Spanish Pearl is an epic adventure spiced with humor, lust, and danger—a story with surprising twists that will capture your imagination just as Kate''s dilemma captures your heart.

Jack the cat gets much more than he bargained for when he decides to build the perfect nest to attract the perfect chicken, who will lay the perfect egg, which will make the perfect omelet.

Describes how an urban bookworm and children''s book author, along with her partner, set out to fulfill a lifelong dream of owning a working farm in Minnesota, offering a heartwarming, frequently humorous take on their crash course in living off and living with the land. Original.

A learn-to-read story about a raccoon.

A learn-to-read story about a raccoon.

A learn-to-read story about a racoon.

Four brief, simple stories feature Eddie the raccoon engaging in a variety of activities.

Story about the antics of a silly sheep named Ruby as she plays in the dirt.

Story about the antics of a silly sheep named Ruby as she makes too much noise.

Story about the antics of a silly sheep named Ruby as she eats a cow''s corn.

Four stories about the antics of a silly sheep named Ruby as she picks flowers, jumps, eats hay, and plays with a friend.

Four stories about the antics of a silly sheep named Ruby as she plays in the dirt, eats a cow''s corn, makes too much noise, and knocks apples from a tree.