Patricia Laurel
Список книг автора Patricia LaurelOnly If You Can Find Me
Nine-year-old Samantha Plum (Sammy), a city girl, journeys with her parents from San Francisco to Hawai'i, where she meets a wise old man with glittering eyes. He has a mysterious message for her, which she does not yet understand. In the Philippines, home of her ancestors, on the old family farm, she finds herself in a world filled with magic — a sky of a billion stars, a gecko that glows in the dark, a fish girl, a ball of light, fairies in a jar. But the family's happiness is threatened by an evil scheming cousin, in league with a vengeful earth spirit who appears out of nowhere, a bony white-bearded little man with long scrawny fingers as cold as ice. He plots to steal Sammy away, in a swirling cloud that his power can conjure up. <br><br>Sammy, only a little girl, unsure of herself, must somehow learn to battle these dark forces. In peril, she finds that she is not alone. Good magic comes to her aid from another little girl, who can speak to her without words, a heroic presence from her family more than a hundred years ago, and a tiger shark who can carry messages thousands of miles to the wise old man in Hawai'i. And, most powerful of all, Sammy discovers a special gift in herself . . .
Mandarin Mannequins of Chinatown
Ten-year-old Samantha Plum's continuing adventures find her returning to Hawaii and the Philippines under a cloud of sadness and impending doom. <br><br>In this second installment, Sam deals with emotions that are too heavy a burden for a young girl, and the loss of her mind-talking support: her parents are in jeopardy; the spirit of her ancestor 'Lolo Ciano' is imprisoned in a dream cloud; Ollie's gift had been taken away by the fireflies, and Patti doesn't realize that she is being held against her will. It is all too much for Sam to handle by herself.<br><br>But help comes when Sam needs it most. Solo and his ancestor shark and Yi Fan the herbalist from Hawaii; Tita Mari and cousin Victoria, her traveling companions; Niko, the dwarf once the enemy now her friend, and others come to her aid. Sam and Patti are also introduced to the spirit of the Philippines' national hero.<br><br>They must face an evil Chinese witch who forces unsuspecting women to do her bidding in Manila and Honolulu.