Linda Oatman High -- My Books

Please patronize your local independent bookstore, if at all possible! If you can't get there physically, get there in cyberspace by going to:

My books are also carried by the chains, one of which I've linked to for the sake of convenience. Don't be chained to the chains, though! Explore other options. Long live the independent bookstores!!!!!

SISTER SLAM AND THE POETIC MOTORMOUTH ROAD TRIP:

"This ultra-hip Cinderella tale, written entirely in verse, introduces an
unconventional, memorable heroine. . .High creates events and people bigger than life, yet readers will find some very genuine emotions beneath Laura's loud, cynical front. Her transformation from outcast to superstar, lyrically captured through snappy rhymes, is satisfying as well as hilarious."-Publisher's Weekly, March 29, 2004

"I was smitten,
bitten
by a love bug
or something

I didn't
even care
that I'd
just been hit.

I was in deep
smit."

Laura Crapper, a seventeen-year-old combat-boot-wearing poet with spiked red hair, renames herself Sister Slam and hits the road with her best friend, Twig. On the way into the slam poetry world of New York City, they hit a pig, get pulled over by the cops, fight with a poetry contest's judge, lose the contest, get into two more fender benders, fight with each other, and finally land on the front page of a newspaper in New York City for their amazing impromptu performance at the famous Tavern on the Green. The girls and their fresh style of poetry take the city by storm, but when Laura's father back in Pennsylvania has a heart attack she must face her fears about home and the still-raw loss of her mother. An inspiring romp of a coming-of-age story, written entirely in Laura's in-your-face slam poetry style, that proves you don't have to give up your home in order to live your dream.

The Girl on the High-Diving Horse

It's the summer of 1936, and Ivy Cordelia is staying for the summer in a hotel on the Atlantic City boardwalk. Ivy wishes that she could be one of the crazy/brave girls on the high-diving horses.

NOW IN PAPERBACK!

MAIZIE

Maizie Musser wishes for a lot of things, and a lot stands between her and all the dreams. But Maizie is tougher than she looks, and full of patience, as she sets out to make her wishes come true.

HOUND HEAVEN

Silver Nickles wants a dog. She has faith that she'll get a dog before her thirteenth birthday, but as Pastor Pete says, "Faith without works is dead." Silver sets to work in a kennel to earn money for a dog, allowing nothing to lessen her grit and determination.

Now in Paperback!

THE SUMMER OF THE GREAT DIVIDE

It's the summer of 1969, and Wheezie Moore is caught up in the turmoil of the nation and some turmoil of her own. Wheezie's Uncle Ob is off fighting in the Vietnam War, and her parents are thinking about getting a divorce. Wheezie can't bear the thought of her family being ripped apart, so she devises a plan to bridge the great divide that exists between her parents.

A STONE’S THROW FROM PARADISE

Lizzie Zook jumps at the chance to spend the summer in Amish country, staying with her grandmother in the last place where Lizzie saw her Mama alive. During the time she spends with Granny Zook, Lizzie comes to understand the Amish community and her grandmother's devotion to it. She finds out about her Mama, and in the process learns more about herself. Most importantly, Lizzie discovers the place she wants to call home.

BEEKEEPERS When the sunshine pours like warm honey from the sky, it's time to tend Grandpa's bees. His granddaughter lends a hand and is treated to a spectacular show, as she proves herself to be a "fine keeper of bees." Now in Paperback!
BARN SAVERS The barn is old. The boards are beaten. Though long gone, you can still smell the hay and horses. It's a beautiful place, this barn, in its rugged way. But now it's time for the barn to come down. Fortunately, the barn will not be crushed by the blade of a bulldozer. It will be dismantled slowly, piece by piece, by the Barn Savers in this story of a father and son bringing down a barn with hard work and respect. Illustrated by the super-talented Ted Lewin
A CHRISTMAS STAR As Papa hitches the horse to Granddaddy's old sleigh, his daughter has nothing on her mind but the red wool mittens she hopes are waiting for her on the mitten tree at the Christmas Eve service. It's the Great Depression, and Santa Claus may not be able to come this year. But Christmas is the season for miracles, and the true meaning of the holiday shines through.
UNDER NEW YORK What goes on beneath the New York City streets? A lot more than you'd imagine! Above there are skyscrapers and sunshine, schools and families, pigeons and pets. Below there are tunnels, restaurants, jazz clubs, subways - and maybe, once, an alligator!
WINTER SHOES FOR SHADOW HORSE A boy hears the ringing of a hammer in the evening air. He follows the sound to the blacksmith shop, where his father helps him to shoe his first horse.



THE LAST CHIMNEY OF CHRISTMAS EVE It's Christmas Eve and Nicholas, a young chimney sweep, has one last chimney to clean. Shivering in his ragged coat, he climbs inside the sooty chimney, working his way to the top. After the work is done, the owner of the house surprises Nicholas with two gifts: a fluffy red coat and a glass snow dome. When Nicholas thanks the man for his kindness, he is told to pass it on. Nicholas grows up and he does exactly that, showing that kindness received will grow when passed on to others.

My story "The Uterus Fairy" appears in this young adult collection of stories about menstruation, published by Simon & Schuster, March 2004