Ages 8-12

Lee and Johnny Scott are back—and so is Old Sam—in this sequel to Old Sam, Dakota Trotter. Despite the disfiguring injury that ended Old Sam’s career as a champion thoroughbred trotter, he is still as fast—and as canny— as ever, an indispensible help for the Scott family in their new home. Then, Old Sam mysteriously goes missing. Johnny figures that any thief who dares to steal that horse will soon be sorry. With the help of Lee and their gang of friends, Johnny soon has things well in hand, finding Old Sam’s track, setting up a communication system that works with mirrors and well-placed minions—and generally running circles around his elders. And, of course, Old Sam does not let his boys down. That Johnny also encounters some sobering moments in his headlong pursuit of justice is a sad, perhaps unavoidable, consequence in a way of life still on the fringes of civilized society. Both books about Old Sam and the Scott family are based on the author’s true-life, homesteading experiences in what is now the southeastern region of the state of North Dakota.

Illustrated by: Lorence F. Bjorklund Re-releasing the first Old Sam story from Bethlehem Books' previous edition! Homesteading in the Dakota Territory of the 1880's would not have been the same for 10-year-old Johnny Scott and his younger brother, Lee, if they'd had to do it without Old Sam. Years before, a sudden, crippling accident had left Sam, a thoroughbred trotter on his way to championship, in the Scott family pasture--to die or to recover. By default, the Scott family inherits the lamed horse that no one else wants. But Mr. Scott soon discovers old Sam's uncanny and invaluable ability to do any task a larger, stronger farm horse can do. His awkward appearance and hidden talents proceed to cause both hilarity and ongoing excitement for these two boys caught up in the fast-changing world of the American Midwest.

Illustrated by: Harold Minton No one dreamed that the Nazis would ever bother Valcos, the sleepy little Norwegian fishing village on the edge of the deep fjord. However, its happy, carefree life ended when Nazi officers quartered themselves in the Engeland home with the intention of securing Captain Engeland’s influential help. Petra Engeland, only fourteen, had good reason then to transfer her resourcefulness in mischief to grimmer tasks involving life or death, and her first undertaking was to warn her father, still away with the larger of the fishing boats, of the trap awaiting him. Against a background of mountains, caves and fjords, Petra and her impetuous brother Martin—with numerous other Norwegians, young and old—take part in daring schemes right under the noses of the occupying forces. Published before WW II was at an end, this tale retains its sense of immediacy and courage in the face of great adversity.