Hale has written an original tale similar to the Grimm's fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen. Anodori, Crown Princess of Kildenree (a.k.a. Ani), spends her first years under her aunt's guidance learning to communicate with animals, but she is never comfortable speaking with people. When her silver-tongued lady-in-waiting leads a mutiny during Ani's journey to be married in a foreign land, Ani is helpless and cannot persuade anyone to assist her. Becoming a goose girl for the king, Ani eventually uses her own special, nearly magical powers to find her way to her destiny. Ani is a girl who must find her own unusual talents before she becomes queen of the people she has made her own.

A retelling of the classic tale "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," this is a resource to use in the study and discussion of superstition. Pattou's writing places readers between myth and fantasy in this fairy tale that involves magic, superstition and suspense. Many universal themes are dealt with in this story. Family dynamics and how they are influenced by individual and family values are most evident. Rose is a female explorer, which makes this story interesting because most explorers are male.

This is an authentic account of the Whaleship Essex that was attacked and sunk by an extraordinarily large whale in 1820. The ship sailed out of Nantucket to hunt for whales to harvest the whale oil. Three small lifeboats were launched as the Essex sank. In this abridged version of Heart of the Sea, Philbrick recounts the details of cannibalism and execution that were pieced together from a cabin boy's diary made public in 1984. Most of the book deals with the crew's struggle to survive and their eventual rescue three months later. This story gives students the opportunity to read about a way of life that no longer exists. Readers will witness heroism, cowardice and the fierce will to live. The photographs, drawings and maps enhance the text and were drawn by the surviving cabin boy.