Harcourt Brace.

Harcourt Brace

525 'B' St. #1900, San Diego, CA 92101-4495

www.harcourtbooks.com

Bonnie Shimko's KAT'S PROMISE (0152054731, $17.00) will reach ages 12 and older, telling of a pre-teen whose mother ides, forcing her to live with a wealthy aunt whom Kat believes caused her mother's death. And she may have: the aunt is even crueler than thought, her house holds many mysteries, and Kat's life seems filled with only darkness and no future, until she discovers a new friend, some sympathetic ears, and some new hopes for positive changes in her life. A sensitive story teens will find compellingly different from the usual parental death account. Ursula K. LeGuin's VOICES (0152056785, $17.00) will reach the same age group with a fantasy set in a world where a once-peaceful city of scholars has been captured by desert Alds, its residents forbidden to read or write. Teen Memer finds her life changed with poet Orrec and his wife arrive --and finds that as she explores her skills and talents, forbidden in the new world, she may prove her people's last hope. This is the second book of the Annals of the Western Shore--but it stands alone well and needs no prior introduction to prove compelling, with its strong characterization and fast-paced story line.