National Network for Equitable Library Service

Inspired by a true story, a young woman is swept up in the glamour and excitement of chasing the title of Miss America 1950-only to vanish the night she wins. Betty Jane Welch reluctantly enters the Miss Delaware contest to make her mother happy, only to surprisingly find herself the judges' choice. Just like that, she's catapulted into the big time, the Miss America Pageant in Atlantic City. Luckily, her pageant-approved escort for the week is the dashing but mercurial Griffin McAllister, and she falls for him hard.

From acclaimed author Patricia Hruby Powell comes the story of a landmark civil rights case, told in spare and gorgeous verse. In 1955, in Caroline County, Virginia, amidst segregation and prejudice, injustice and cruelty, two teenagers fell in love. Their life together broke the law, but their determination would change it. Richard and Mildred Loving were at the heart of a Supreme Court case that legalized marriage between races, and a story of the devoted couple who faced discrimination, fought it, and won.

Dinah and her sister Lisa are growing up in 1950s South Africa, where racial laws are tightening. They are two little girls from a dissenting liberal family. Big sister Lisa is strong and sensible, while Dinah is weedy and arty. At school, the sadistic Mrs Vaughan-Jones is providing instruction in mental arithmetic and racial prejudice. And then there's the puzzle of lunch break. "Would you rather have a native girl or a koelie to make your sandwiches'" a first-year classmate asks.

A bouquet of brides is picked for love. Meet seven American women who were named for various flowers but struggle to bloom where God planted them. Can love help them grow to their full potential' Holly and Ivy by Mary Davis (1890, Washington State) At Christmastime, Holly Harrison accompanies her impetuous younger sister on her trip across the country to be a mail-order bride. But even as she tries to persuade her sister that loving a stranger is foolhardy, Holly loses her own heart to a fellow traveler.

Journey now to Niagara Falls, New York, of 1870 where...She avoids danger at all costs. He makes his living by rushing headlong into it. Outwardly, Adele Linley's trip to visit her American cousins is nothing more than a summer vacation. In reality, she's the daughter of an English aristocrat with barely a penny to her name seeking a rich American husband. Having grown up in an overcrowded orphanage, Drew Dawson is determined to make a name for himself. He'll take any honest job to provide for his sister-even crossing Niagara Falls by tightrope.

Love sneaks up on eight couples in the Old West. The Old West comes to life under the talented pen of bestselling author Mary Connealy. Enjoy a lighthearted ride alongside seven historical and one contemporary cowboys and the women who tame their hearts. The Advent Bride Melanie Douglas is alone on the Nebraska plains, teaching school to get by. She finds a unique box with hidden drawers to use over the advent season to engage a young boy in his schooling. When Henry O'Keeffe sees a positive change in his son, he has to see for himself what this new teacher is doing.

Follow a Swedish family's journey as they settle in Minnesota where each brother seeks a living-and wife. Gustaf is left to manage his brother's romantic mess. August considers courting his brother's castoff. Lowell and Ollie are both fascinated by the same mysterious woman. Can a family's faith forge a new home and nurture love'

Journey now to Castle Gate, Utah of 1910 where...Forbidden Love Tries to Survive Old World Expectations Schoolteacher Leanna McKee plans on leaving the coal mining town of Castle Gate, Utah, and never looking back. Good riddance to coal dust, rugged men, and the fatal mine that took her husband's life. Until the widow meets a widower who awakens her heart...and she finds herself inexplicably falling for miner Alex Pappas which stirs up a whole heap of trouble. Alex's Greek parents have arranged a more traditional match for him.

Romance is a delicate dance bound by rules and expectations in Regency England...Seven couples must navigate society's gauntlet to secure the hand of true love... Charity and Luke are strangers who were forced to marry three years ago. Adelaide and Walter share a love of music and disdain for elitism. Caroline and Henry are thrown together by three orphans. Helen and Isaac harbor his unlikely secret. Esther is empowered to choose between two men. Sophia is determined not to choose a man like Nash. Jamie and William face a daunting London season together.

Love Brings Freedom in 9 Historical Romances Journey along as nine historical women are about to make their escape from some of life's greatest challenges. Can their captive hearts be freed to dream, to dare, to love'Love's Labours Found by Jennifer AlLee - Montserrat, West Indies, 1655 Temperance Simms only wanted a better life. Instead, she finds herself labeled a criminal and sold as an indentured servant.