In 1910 West Texas, the last camel of the US Army roams the desert. Zada has lived a long and adventurous life from Turkey to America. She’s made friends with fellow camel racers for the Pasha and with many more camels on a rocky sailing ship. She has lately befriended two kestrels and their hatchlings. But the real adventure begins with a huge sandstorm when the parent birds are blown away. Zada lovingly rescues the babies and shelters them in the cave of a mountain lion. To calm them all, Zada shares stories of her life with the little ones. But Zada knows reuniting them with their parents may be her last and most difficult adventure. "A delight to the senses." --Kirkus Reviews

Perfect for fans of The One and Only Ivan, this exquisite middle grade novel from Newbery Honoree and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt follows a creaky old camel out to save two baby kestrel chicks during a massive storm in the Texas desert--filled with over a dozen illustrations by Caldecott winner Eric Rohmann.

Zada is a camel with a treasure trove of stories to tell. She's won camel races for the royal Pasha of Smyrna, crossed treacherous oceans to new land, led army missions with her best camel friend by her side, and outsmarted a far too pompous mountain lion.

But those stories were from before. Now, Zada wanders the desert as the last camel in Texas. She's not, however, alone. Two tiny kestrel chicks are nestled in the fluff of fur between her ears--kee-killy-keeing for their missing parents--and a dust storm the size of a mountain is taking Zada on one more grand adventure. And it could lead to this achy old camel's most brilliant story yet.