Twelve-year-old Felipe, his eight-year-old sister, and their mother must flee El Salvador after his father, Jacinto, disappears. Following Jacinto's instructions to "grab hands and run" if anything ever happens to him, the three flee north to freedom in Canada. On their harrowing and frightening journey, they encounter people who use war to their advantage--extortionists, leeches, and reward-seekers--forcing Felipe and Romy to grow up before their time.

The former British Prime Minister addresses 21st-century issues--globalization, terrorism, developments in Russia and China, the European Union--and counsels that while there is a need for global awareness, it is, as before, imperative to attend to national interests.

Thaxter spent much of her life on Isles of Shoals, off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. In this classic volume, first published in 1894, she describes how she made her garden grow in this challenging environment. Childe Hassam's paintings and chapter illuminations are included.