About this item
Coretta Scott King Honor winner Brenda Woods introduces introverted, daydream-prone Zoe, who's afraid her real life will never be as exciting as her imaginary one. Zoe Reindeer considers herself "just Zoe" - never measuring up to her too-perfect older sister or her smarty-pants little brother. Truthfully, though, she'd rather just blend in with the plants at the family business, Doc Reindeer's Exotic Plant Wonderland. She does have one friend, Q, and he's the best one ever - but he's moving away, leaving Zoe to fend for herself, and she doesn't know what she'll do without him. That is until a tall astronomer from Madagascar comes to the nursery looking for a Baobab tree. His visit starts a ball rolling that makes Zoe long for real adventures, not just imaginary ones - and shows her that perhaps her first real adventure is finally beginning.
About the Author
Brenda Woods was born in Cincinnati, Ohio but moved to Los Angeles when she was six years old. She grew up in a large Catholic family, the second eldest of seven. "It was a noisy, busy, boisterous household and I always sought quiet spaces where I could read and imagine. The public library wasn't too far from our house and it was a haven." She became a shutterbug at the age of eleven when she received her first camera, has studied painting and ceramics and believes strongly in the healing power of music. Words were always of great interest to her, the way they could be put together in melodic, lyrical ways. When she was twelve years old she decided to memorize the entire dictionary but her attempts were, much to her dismay, unsuccessful. Brenda Woods graduated from Ascension School in South Los Angeles, St. Mary's Academy in Inglewood, California, and California State University, Northridge. Brenda is the mother of two adult sons."The road to becoming a writer was winding and fortuitous but a definite fit for someone who rather enjoys spending time alone with her thoughts, a thesaurus, and a laptop. I am extremely grateful to have been given the opportunity to express myself with words and that my offerings have been well received. Young people are the best and it has been a great privilege to share my stories with them." Brenda Woods is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Coretta Scott King Honor, PEN Center USA Finalist, Focal Award, ALA TOP Ten Books for Reluctant Readers, and the International Reading Association Book Award. The Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA, a Kirkus Review Best Book and CCBC Choice, is her eighth published novel.
