Belize

Beka Lamb, by Zee Edgell (1982). Awarded the Fawcett Society Book Prize as the first novel by a Belizean writer to reach an international audience, Beka Lamb details a few months in the life of 12-year-old Beka, a thoughtful yet mischievous girl coming of age in colonial, multiethnic Belize. The melodious creole voices of many of the book's characters charge to the surface in this atmospheric and very accessible novel about everyday life among the cays of Belize.

The Last Flight of the Scarlet Macaw,by Bruce Barcott (2008). Former Iowa housewife Sharon Matola launches a crusade to save the nesting grounds of Belize's last scarlet macaws from developers in this gripping true story.