Brian Burnette is one of those unfortunate children whose circumstances force him to be a man long before he is ready to meet the challenge. The son of a narcissistic and alcoholic woman who neglects him, twelve-year-old Brian is forced to fend for himself in a life of poverty and loneliness. His only connection to true friendship is Stacy, an eight-year-old who, in a winsome combination of childhood innocence and startling wisdom, teaches him about hope and trust, faith and determination. Brian begins to understand that, while he may not have hearth and home, he possesses something unique...

Shadow is the first in a planned series of books on the enduring friendship of Danny Coulter and Isabelle Long. Danny Coulter narrowly missed being born in the smooth current of the Kiamichi River in southeastern Oklahoma. Some feared the river would still someday claim his life, but he brushed aside such notions with a child's sense of invincibility. Brave, spirited, tender-hearted Danny spends his childhood on the family ranch nurturing two great passions: drawing and Isabelle Long, the little girl who lived over the hill. Isabelle Long was deeply wounded when her mother abandoned her for a...