In 1860 Louisiana, eighty-year-old Madame Sylvie decides to sit for a portrait, as horrific stories that span generations from the big house and the fields are revealed 1860, Louisiana. After serving as mistress of Le Petit Cottage for more than six decades, Madame Sylvie Guilbert has decided, in spite of her family's indifference, to sit for a portrait. It will be a testament to all the hardships she overcame, the glory her life ought to have been....

When a case of chicken measles steals the voice of the blue-headed rooster who used to crow all day long, his friend, a plain brown hen, brings musicians to remind him to sing and save him from becoming "quiet rooster stew."

"While the other girls have always known they were destined to be witches, Hasani is a Wildseed---a stray witch from a family of non-witches, with no background knowledge, no way to control her magic, and a lot to catch up on. 'Wildseed' may be an insult that the other girls throw at her, but Wildseeds are more powerful than they know. And Hasani will learn that there are ways to use magic and thrive that can never be taught in a classroom"--

Thirteen-year-old Jillian Robichaux's coastal Louisiana town of Boutin suffers a catastrophic flood that might be too much for her community to overcome, but she is determined to keep both Boutin and its indomitable spirit alive.