Lanie is an "outside" girl who is stuck with an "inside" family. She longs to go camping, explore the outdoors, and have real adventures, but no one else in her family is interested. To make matters worse, Lanie's best friend is far away and living out their dreams of becoming wildlife biologists---without her! When Lanie's aunt comes to stay with them, Lanie finds a kindred spirit and embarks on an exciting project--planting a wild garden---but she faces competition with her younger sister Emily for their aunt's attention. Then her aunt leaves, and Lanie again feels alone & abandoned once again. Gradually, after a blowup with her younger sister, she finds support for her interests where she least expects it--within her own family. Likewise, she discovers the beauty and wonder of nature where she didn't expect to find it--right in her own backyard.
Jane Kurtz was born in Portland, Oregon, but when she was two years old, her parents decided to move to Ethiopia, where she spent most of her childhood. She didn't live in the United States for more than a couple of year-long visits (in Boise and Pasadena) until she started college, feeling like an awkward outsider. Her books set in Ethiopia have helped her give glimpses into the land of her childhood.
Now Jane speaks about being an author at schools and conferences--in all but eleven of the United States, so far, and such places as Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya, France, Germany, Romania, England, Indonesia, Cambodia, the Philippines, and Japan. Her travels have put her in touch with all kinds of kids who are changing the world, one kid at a time, something her idealistic parents made her also want to do. Thus she helped start Ethiopia Reads (www.ethiopiareads.org), a nonprofit that is planting the first libraries for children in Ethiopia.
