Abandoned by their father and living in poverty with their heartless stepmother in Louisiana, two sisters from the Philippines, twelve-year-old Sol and six-year-old Ming, learn the true meaning of family.

Birdie Gaux's dog, Bowser, considers himself in charge of security at 19 Gentilly Lane, so when the house is broken into Bowser wants to find the man with the limeade aftershave (and the cat) responsible--but nobody seems to know what the culprits were looking for, or why a strange girl is asking questions about Birdie's father, a policeman who was killed in the line of duty years before Bowser was adopted.

When eleven-year-old Georgie and her sister Peaches relocate to Bogalusa, Louisiana, with their mother to help their Great Aunt Vie, Georgie becomes involved in the search for the truth about her new friend Markie's mother.

Visiting her grandmother in the Louisiana bayou, ten-year-old Maddy begins to realize that she may be the only sibling to carry on the gift of her family's magical legacy.

In Rippling Creek, Louisiana, in 1948, eleven-year-old Tate writes letters to her favorite country singer, sharing her dreams of becoming a singer and revealing that her mother is in prison.

In a small town deep in the bayou, seventeen-year-old Grey searches for answers about the disappearance of her best friend, uncovering long-held secrets that threaten everything she believed about herself, her family, her friends, and her home.

Annabelle and her little brother, Beau, cannot decide which kind of gumbo to cook, so Annabelle suggests taking a family vote, but when some family members are not happy with the results, Annabelle comes up with a solution that satisfies everyone. Includes a glossary of Louisiana Creole terms, a cultural note, and math activities for developing data literacy.

In 1860 Louisiana, eighty-year-old Madame Sylvie decides to sit for a portrait, as horrific stories that span generations from the big house and the fields are revealed. 1860, Louisiana. After serving as mistress of Le Petit Cottage for more than six decades, Madame Sylvie Guilbert has decided, in spite of her family's indifference, to sit for a portrait. It will be a testament to all the hardships she overcame, the glory her life ought to have been....

Future rock star, or friendless misfit? That's no choice at all. Apple Yengko moved from the Philippines to Louisiana when she was little, and now that she is in middle school, she grapples with being different, with friends and backstabbers, and with following her dreams. Apple has always felt a little different from her classmates. Her mother still cooks Filipino foods, speaks a mix of English and Cebuano, and chastises Apple for becoming "too American."...