Growing up in Shelby County, Indiana, the setting for the classic book and home of the annual Bears of Blue River Festival, this book has always held a special place in my heart. It was one of the first books I was ever read in school and as I got older, I found myself in many of the exact places that were used in the book, such as the Blowout Hole which is where the Fire Bear supposedly fell off the cliff and exploded.

The actual story is even more interesting. In that part of Indiana, there are many natural gas pockets deep in the ground. A settler had been burning brush and caused one of these pockets to explode, creating a deep hole (Blowout Hole) where the Flat Rock River and Conns Creek flow together. Both streams flowed backwards for a week, and the windows on houses were shattered for miles around. In fact, a childhood friend of mine lived in one of the nearby houses and it still exhibited a crack from foundation to roof from the mighty explosion. The tiny farming community even made the front page of the New York Times.

Anyways, just wanted to give you some background. If you're ever in the area, go visit the fields and streams south of Waldron, Indiana and your sure to see some of the settings in Majors' book. You'll probably come across a lot of Native American arrowheads and other artifacts as well--if you look close enough.

And if you haven't read the book, do so at once!!!

Back in 1973, my teacher would read this book to my first-grade class during "reading time." I liked the story soooooo much I asked my mom to order the book. She finally got it from Lazarus of all places and it was sent to our home in Danville, IN in hardback. The story and imagery are great (and sometimes scarrrrrryyyyyy!) I have lost that copy, but am now ordering a copy for my sons (ages 10 and 6) so that I can read to them the wonderful story of Balser and the ferocious bears of Blue River. What a treat for them! john marysville, oh

In 2001 my father age 82 mentioned this book as the only one he remembered his father reading to him as a young boy. I'm his son at age 59 and decided to get a library copy for us to read again. Dad doesn't read much anymore but he devoured the book which brought good memories back. I liked it as well because it gave me a family "connection" over 3 generations, and the book is also easy to read and good reading to boot. Our ancestors settled in Indiana in the 1830's and they lived next to the Flatrock River(in the book)Had to buy a copy for family keepsake

Lisa, Editor of Lisa's Book Review Cafe gives Jeannie, A Texas Frontier Girl, Book One, a Five Cups recommendation and also gives an outstanding author award to Evelyn Horan and invites others to join Jeannie and her friends during her life in West Texas in the l880s. She has many adventures and at twelve years old, her adventures can only be fun! This was really a great story. I cna't wait for the other books to come out. I think every young person will be sure to love Jeannie and her exciting adventures!

It's always a thrill to find a book that teaches, inspires and entertains all at the same time. Jeannie, A Texas Frontier Girl is just such a book. Reading this book transports you back in time to an 1880s frontier Texas setting through the inquisitive eys of a sweet, yet spunky Jeannie. In fact, it's a joy to "travel back in time" with Ms. Horan's characters! The book teaches the heart of the land, that strong, courageous pioneer spirit that helped shape America. This book will inspire you.
Evelyn Horan cleverly weaves her animal characters into their own hopeful tales, reminiscent of the beloved CHARLOTTE'S WEB.
Jeannie grows in maturity and in her personal faith in God which is so naturally seamed into the story. FAith in God was central to survival for many pioneers. Those of you who value the foundational traditions of America will love the truthful recounting of small church and schoolhouse lore.

I recommend this book for all ages. Parents will find it a pleasure to read to their younger children. Children will love this book and find in its covers a picture of love of God, country, and family framed in a loyal and gentle heart that is Jeannie's. Thank you Evelyn Horan for raising the standard of contemporary children's books. It is encouraging to see a modern day author continue the tradition of quality American Children's literature while being respectful of America's foundational Christian heritage. I look forward to Book Two and know our readers will as well.
Angie Rose - Editor
echristianbooks.com

Sally Murphy Book Reviewer of Adolescent Literature.com writes, when Jeannie first lays eyes on the beautiful black colt with the white star, she resolves to ask her father about him. She is sure she can tame him. Despite some misgivings, Pa agrees that she can have him. Thus begins the adventures of Jeannie, A Texas Frontier Girl, Book One. Twelve-year-old Jeannie shares many adventures with her new horse, whom she names Diamond, together with her faithful dog, Ole Blue, and her friend Helga, recently arrived from Germany. Jeannie confronts many dangers, part of living in West Texas in the l880s. When Diamond is stolen by Indians she must try to get him back, when threatened by a rattlesnake she must act quickly, and when she and Helga are almost caught in a tornado, she relies on her instincts to survive. This is the first book in a series of four tracking the adventures of Jeannie and her friends. Along with her many adventures, Jeannie is shown learning about life, love, and friendship, as well as strengthening her faith in God. The book gives a great insight into the life of the ranches on the Texas frontier in the late l9th century and will appeal especially to children sharing the times at school. Evelyn Horan is a teacher-counselor who has previously had numberous children's articles published in both secular and religious publications. Her wholesome writing would make a good introduction to historical fiction for young people.

I LOVED this book! Ordinarily, I do not recommend religious books to anyone, because what works for me will not usually work for other people. In times past, I would simply say that I enjoyed the book, but would be very noncommittal when asked if I would recommend it. This time, however, I highly recommend this book!

It was an excellent retelling of the story of Gomer and Hosea. It moved me from anger to love, from tears of sorrow to tears of joy. It was a great example of how God's love, expressed through man, can heal another person's heart. It showed how no matter how far we try to run, God is always there for us and with us, and He will take as much time as we need to teach us of Him and His love.

Redeeming Love is, at its heart, a story of restoration and forgiveness -- the kind that has to take place not only on a spiritual level, but also on an intrapersonal level and within one's self. It's also a lesson on judgement. So many people had so quickly passed judgement on Angel that she internalized their negativity, and they missed out on the opportunity to heal her wounded spirit. Even Micheal almost missed his chance, until he allowed the Lord completely bend his will to the divine purpose the Lord had intended.

This book will make you fully appreciate the goodness of the Lord. I will awaken in your spirit a renewed desire to be drawn into His fold. If you are not moved by this story, check your pulse, you may be dead.

What a joy to be able to share my thoughts about this book with whomever may read this. This is the first book Francine Rivers wrote after coming into her relationship with Christ. Because of that, it has a rawness and a fresh fascination with the incredible love of God. The characters are real and believable, especially Angel, whose life experiences have left her bitter and angry, certain that there is no hope for redemption or love. The story that unfolds is so much more than the "sappy" romance-novel cover depicts (I wish the publisher would redesign it). Even for me, a Christian for 15 years, it was deeply moving and humbling to read of how unshakeable God's love is, and also His discipline. I have reccomended this book to so many people, all of whom have had similar responses to mine, and I would suggest it as a way to show God's amazing love to anyone you may know who doesn't know Him. Praise God for servants who are gifted in such unique ways as Mrs. Rivers - may she continue to glorify Him with her stories!

The first day I bought this book, I sat on my desk and told myself I'd just read a chapter before I go to bed. That was 9pm. No matter how hard I tried, I could not put the book down. I found myself teary eyed, reading the ending, at 5am the next morning. Intending to read just the first few pages, I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting (with one bathroom break!).

Everytime Angel would run away from Michael's love, I would say, "you stupid, ungrateful woman!" But as I was reading, God reminded me of all the times when I myself would backslide from my faith, thinking that I could make it on my own without Him - and of how unconditional His love is (like Michael's) when I come to my senses and ask for His forgiveness. After I finished the novel, I couldn't help but thank God for His forgiving, faithful, redeeming love.

I definitely recommend this book. But don't read it like I did - Don't read it in one sitting until 5am when you need to be at work at 7am.!!

I work casual hours in a bookstore and my manager picked up These Is My Words to let me know that it was on the New Releases list. The title had me at once. I bought it immediately.

Never have I felt so as one with a novel. Reading Sarah's entries, I too fought those Indians, felt the hurt with the loss of loved ones and loved Jack. On more than one occaison, I found myself in the most absurd places reading this story, (one morning for an hour sitting on the edge of the bath tub). I have been waiting for a book like this my whole life and now that I have found it, I doubt anything can replace it.

Nancy Turner's characters are vivid, believable, real. They grow through the course of the novel to become your friends, family and loved ones. I have never cried, laughed and siged with relief so many times through one book. I just hope that this treasure stays safe within yellowing pages and bypasses the big screen.

Truly amazing, an adventure everyone should have. Thank-you so much Nancy Turner!

When I began reading this book, I was, at first, annoyed by the prose. The author intentionally used misspelled words throughout the first few pages-- not to mention horrible grammar-- and I find that exhausting to read! However, after heroine Sarah Prine gets her hands on a newspaper and a wonderful young woman helps her learn to read and write a bit better, Sarah Prine's words become an adventurous, thrilling report of her life in the American West.

This book is loaded with adventure (Indian attacks, shooting contests, rape attempts, childbirth, and train robbery!!). I loved that the main character has a thirst for knowledge and love of books, too. She is easy to relate to, and impossible to dislike. I like Sarah because she is independent, sassy, and very real. Sarah's tongue is sharp, but her soul is so good, and it was exciting to read about her passion and lust for Jack and then watch their lives fall into place together.

This book was absolutely convincing as the diary of a young woman out West so many years ago. I found myself wondering about Sarah Prine as though she were a real person more than a few times... Also, as a Tucson resident, the parts about the erection of the university and the climate of the city back then were particularly interesting.

I could not put this book down. I stayed up three nights in a row, reading until 2 or 3 in the morning, just to find out what could possibly happen next. I laughed at the scrapes the characters found themselves in, and how they reacted to them, and I sobbed for half an hour as I turned the last few pages. To find out why, you will simply have to read this wonderful new piece of literature...

I'm expecting a baby soon, and my best friend enclosed this book for me along with a baby gift. I can't imagine a more wonderful gift than this book. I recently read "Cold Mountain" and thought that it was my all-time favorite ... well, "These Is My Words" has topped "Cold Mountain"! I wish I had the discipline to have read it slower, but I devoured it and now feel almost mournful at having finished it. I agree with the earlier poster ... I, too, pictured Jack as looking like the actor Sam Elliot. I also agree with another poster that I hope this is not made into a movie ... it's a precious treasure on its own. I loved Sarah, in fact I almost felt as if I became her charcter ... I felt as strong and courageous, yet at the same time as vulnerable, as she. It was a great character to live through! I fell in love with Jack, and I'm still angry at him for getting himself killed! While I almost feel disloyal recommending another book right now, in this same vein is "The Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All" (which is VERY long, so you can savor it a bit), and of course "Cold Mountain" (which is a much slower pace than "These Is..." but an amazing tale of the rugged pioneer spirit and a poignant love story). "These Is..." and many of the other books about this era make me a bit ashamed to see how "soft" we have become as people at the 20th century's end ... we take for granted so many modern conveniences ... the people in these novels didn't have the luxury of being lazy, and they seemed to have much richer lives in spite of it.

I first read this book in March 1997 when it first came out. Even after three and a half years, and the reading of many more books, this remains of my favorite books ever. It brings the Oregon Trail to life and puts faces on the countless brave pioneers who braved the hardships of the trail to make new lives in the west. The narrator is a fictional thirteen-year-old farm girl from Missouri, Hattie Campbell. Through her diary, written in a voice that truly sounds as if it belongs to a young girl from that time, the reader experiances the events of Hattie's journey west - her friendship with Pepper, a fourteen-year-old girl from the wagon train, the beginnings of a romance with Pepper's brother Wade, and many others. Hattie was a character that I really came to care about, and I was sad to put the book down when it was finished, but since then, I have read it several more times. Kristiana Gregory is an amazing author that has given a distinct voice to each of her narrators in this book and her two other Dear America books. I hope she writes another Dear America book soon; she's one of my favorite authors from the series. I highly reccomend this book to historical fiction fans.

This adventureous and exciting story is about a young girl named Hattie Campbell, growing up in Missoura in 1847. This story is about the exciting sensation she gets when her father anounces they are traveling west to Oregon. This story is about her triumphs and losses along the Oregon Trail. After she meets a 14 year-old girl named Pepper Lewis, they plan everything about their 'soon-to-be' life in the west. Everything changes when Pepper gets married...Will all of their plans change? Soon, Hattie longs for someone to love, just as Pepper has. Will she survive the long and harsh journey west?

I loved this book! I deffinetly am glad I gave it 5 stars, because it's true! This is a very adventureous book and it makes me wish I lived in that time, for everything is so fun...But it turns out life is harsh on the trail. I recommend this book for 10-14 year-olds. When I bought this book I also bought "My Heart Is On The Ground" and "Voyage On The Great Titanic", all great stories of girls and their changing lives. Once again, I couldn't put it down! I loved it! :)

This book was tragic But adventureous. I felt like I was Hattie. It is about a girl who leaves her hometown in Booneville, Missora and heads out west to Oregon. Their are a lot of deaths in the story but none of Hattie's family members died on the Oergon trail so don't worry. I'm eight and I didn't have nightmares for a week but if I were you I would not let anybody under eight read this. they may get scared. There are great characters like Pepper, Gideon, Wade, Ben, Jake and of course Hattie Campell. If you like adventure and danger I recomend this book to you.

'These Happy Golden Years' is an excellent book. One of the best in the Little House series. Laura is growing up and life for her is getting very interesting.

The book starts off rough for Laura. In order to make money for Mary's schooling, Laura is going away from home for the first time to teach school. She is staying with a family that has a very bitter wife who is not exactly friendly!

When Laura finally returns home she is happy to go back to school, but she is eager to earn more money. So, she helps the town dressmaker on Saturdays.

Mary is coming home for summer and Laura is so excited! The only problem is that she is staying with the dressmaker and her daughter out on their claim. Will Laura be able to go home and see Mary!?

As the book progresses Almonzo Wilder becomes even more a part of Laura's life. It is so sweet to read these two getting closer and more interested. Laura even helps Almonzo break some horses!

This book is interesting and sweet and the ending is wonderful! Pick it up today!

This book tells of 3 years of Laura's life between ages of 15, when she first goes out to teach school - to 18, when she gets married.

We witness Laura's growing up and realization that life is changing all around her. Mary is in college, and is independent enough to want to stay with a friend for the summer instead of coming home. It's obvious that Laura's relationship with her sisters and friends in school are changing - in 'Little Town on the Prairie' her school life for example, and her after school or weekend social activities with her friends are a large part of the book, but now we only hear of a few remote incidents, and we hardly hear anything about the going ons there, for instance we don't really get to know Florence, the new 'big girl'. This is partly due to the increasing role of Almanzo Wilder's part in Laura's life, but I think that is also partly due to the fact Laura isn't attending school full time anymore, but rather teaches school herself for a term or two a year.Except for Ida's small part in Laura's wedding, we don't hear of them any more for the rest of the series.

We also see Laura herself change: part of it is what I just mentioned about the change in what she describes in her social life. Another one would be her very detailed description of her clothes and fashions - even though we do hear about her dresses in previous books, she seems much more occupied with them this time, like any teenage girl... In betwen the lines, we do see that the Ingles family is doing better financially - they are improving their house, and can often afford luxuries such as a sewing machine and an organ for Mary.

I did find a few points I didn't like in this book, compared to the previous books in the series:

1) Instead of giving an account of a relatively short period (a year or 2, like in the previous books), we are now covering 3 years, and we usually get an 'in depth coverage' of a relatively short period, or a few remote incidents, then run through a long period which is skipped. Laura only described her first school with as much details as I was used to in her previous books, but the next 2 schools are hardly mentioned... It isn't as bad as her descriptions in 'The First Four Years', but it's still noticeable.

2) We get a lot more of Almanzo, while we get less of the pioneer life of that era... This is an autobiography of Laura's life, not a history book, I admit, but I think that the historical and cultural element of these books has been a major attraction for readers, especially the older ones.

This book tells about Laura Ingalls Wilder's teenage life. She goes from care free child to grown school teaching adult. The book shows what it was like to be a teenager in the late 1800's. What kind of parties they had, for instance sleigh rides and birthday. Plus, what it was like falling in love and courting!This book is a lot of fun and a wonderful conclusion to the "Little House" books. If you have any time at all I would really recommend reading this delightful book!

Laura was a nine year old girl who had dark brown hair and eyes. She lived in the prairie of Minnesota with Ma, Pa, Mary, Carrie and her pet bulldog,Jack. Laura's family worked very hard in their everyday life. Pa would tend the garden,Ma would do the house work,and Mary and Laura would help after they came from school. Sometimes storms struck the prairie and it was devastating. The author,Laura Ingalls Wilder, wanted to let people know about pioneer times. On the Banks of Plum Creek is a very well written book,it made me feel as if I was part of the story.

Laura and her family have moved to a small farm near Walnut Grove in Minnesota. They will have to adapt to Minnesota, the sod house, and a lot more. Laura Ingalls is a seven year old girl who loves to explore the creek, and is daddies little angel. Laura lives with her Ma, Pa , her two sisters Marry and Carrie, and their loyal companion and bulldog Jack. Pa goes out to get lumber and builds a beautiful new house with windows and he farms wheat to earn money. One day Pa said that in a couple weeks the wheat would soon be ready to pick. Then they see this peculiar sparkling cloud that filled the sky. Shortly after countless numbers of grasshoppers cover the field, the creek, and the rest of the farm, including Laura and her family. The grasshoppers consumed every plant including the wheat that Pa worked so hard to grow.
Mary and Laura start to go to school and on their first day they met many friends and some foes. one of their rivals was named Nellie who had a party and invited all the girls from school. Nellie was very rude and very cruel to Mary and Laura. Laura decided to have a party as well, and invited all the girls from school. Laura invites Nellie particulary to get back at her, and boy did she do a clever and a funny prank on Nellie. Then the Ingalls experienced blizzards, storms, and prairie fires which were very devastating. After all the work the family put into the farm and the wheat, their work finally payed off.
This book had lots of surprising, unpredictable, and very exciting events. If I could rate this book on a scale of one through ten, I would give this book a ten. Once I started to read this book I couldn't put it down, because I was so hooked on it. This book is fantastic and is great for every age, and great for every age, and should be enjoyed by everyone. If your looking for a great book that will excite, delight, suprise, and grasp your attention, On the Banks of Plum Creek is just the book your looking for.

A very exciting book
Everything is going great at Plum Creek. Pa makes a new house out of wood and it has glass windows. a will pay for the wood with the money from their first wheat crop. One day a huge cloud covers the praire and grasshoppers fall from it. Laura is very exciting and daring while Mary is more ladylike than Laura is. Pa and Ma are very loving parents. Read this book to find out what happens next. This is a very catching book. Once you turn the page you'll never want to stop reading it. I liked this book because after every chapter you just want to keep going. I also liked thes book because it told what real people had to go through. The characters do amazing things. I would rate this book from one to five a six. The age group for this book I think is 8 and up. I hope you read this book!

It's remarkable how well this book holds up after 70 years. It's not exactly =hard= science-fiction, and it emphasizes a lot of social issues, which is probably one of the reasons it has aged so well. Most importantly, it tells the story expertly, with a good amount of suspense and intrigue (and a lot less misanthropy than can be found in the excellent film adaptation).

The sequel ("After Worlds Collide") on the other hand, is =far= more dated, thoroughly permeated with '30s notions of nationalism. By today's standards it's more than just politically incorrect, it's borderline racist. But that aside--and it doesn't serve to try to read old novels with modern prejudices--it doesn't have the same sense of urgency (the impending doom of all mankind) found in the first book.

I first read this book (and it's sequel,"After Worlds Collide") in my early teens and it has remained a dear friend since then. I own the movie, but reading the book is the best treat. If you want to own this title, try checking Advanced Book Exchange or Bibliocity for used copies. You may have to wait for awhile, but ultimately, you'll get you copy!

Though this book was written back in the thirties and has a very strong political bias, it's got an ingenious idea and an exciting and realistic plot. The existence of the human civilization is threatened by an asteroid which is about to collide with Earth. Frantic preparations begin to save the mankind from disaster. Read and see what happens.

This novel has a follow-up: "After Worlds Collide"...

Thomas Berger's Little Big Man, when written, was 20 years ahead of its time. What we now take for granted, i.e., US govt (read: white) anhilation of native Americans, Berger presented to us from another perspective: the Indians'. I was about 12 years old when the movie came out and can still remember how it was much discussed at the time. Make no mistake - for all the wit and humor in this story, it is a very serious subject and for its time was very powerful. Imagine the days not so long ago when George Armstrong Custer was a national hero. This book caused rethinking and revision of white treatment of Indians and Indian culture. Mr Berger's use of a fictional character inserted into historical events was a masterful tool. The humor that our narrator, Jack Crabb, uses to get his point across is infectious, his downhome wisdom sage, and his tender heart touching. For those who enjoyed Mr. Crabb's saga, do not miss his return (Return of Little Big Man), as well as another mockumentary character, Harry Flashman, and his historical adventures, courtesy of George McDonald Fraser.

A plodding first chapter by the fictional author of a fictional biography, is necessary because it prepares us for the story of Jack Crabb, Little Big Man. With the second chapter the hilarity begins (with some lapses in the regional speech). There is a minimum of a laugh per page. The tragedy is a man caught between two cultures. He admires the Cheyenne, his adoptive people, but is carrying so much baggage from his original upbringing that he feels shame and guilt. Consequently he belongs to neither. He is a man lost to both as circumstance moves him back and forth between them. The book is culturally, but not historically accurate. Still I believe it ranks with the best American fiction.

Long before Micheal Blake's politically correct tome "Dances With Wolves" gave voice to other side of the American West, Thomas Berger wrote the expertly crafted, humourous, tragic and down right entertaining "Little Big Man". Written in 1965, when it was still fashionable to portray the Native American as a "in the way savage", Berger deftly blended the genres of tall tale and history in a manner that really has yet to be matched.

The character of Jack Crabb is cut of classic cloth. His story may very well be pure hogwash, but it is filled with touching humanity that underpins all the comedy. Berger portrays The Cheyenne people, or the "Human Beings" as possessing many of the same foibles and warts as their European counterparts. They are not painted as noble savages as in Blake's new agey work, but rather as complex characters deserving of respect and honor.

Berger's General Custer is a wry study of madness that somehow avoids cynicism. One of this book's many virtues lies in its ability to lend the Western myth a critical eye, while avoiding the nihilistic pessimism that frequently goes hand in hand with such work (something the film version couldn't avoid).

"Little Big Man" is a must read to all who love good yarns spun with a big heart and a bigger mind.

This was a great book about Hannah, a 16 year old girl forced to care for her sea loving brother, unloving father andyounger sisters thankful and abby, . The author gets into the mind of all characters in this well written novel. The characters are all interesting. Each one has their own problems. you should read this book to find out how Hannah tries to pull her family together, and find out the truth behind why the town hated her mother.

Ann Rinaldi is one of my favorite authors. This book was no disappointment to me. I loved the way she twisted the plot and what happens to the characters. I myself could not put the book down once I started to read it and I think you won't be able to put it down either.

Hannah Chelmsford has been the one to watch out for her brothers and sisters since her mother's death. Hannah's father, Nathaniel Chelmsford, has barely anything to do with his children and has Hannah take care of them. Hannah and her sisters, Abigail and Thankful, are making a quilt. When they started the quilt, there were only going to be pieces for family, then they decide to add people that have meant something in their lives and there has to be trust between these people.

Hannah soon helps her sister, Abigail, plan her elopement. Abigail has to elope because her father won't let her get married. They put the plan into action one night hoping everything goes well.

Lawrence, Hannah's brother, is going on a trip west with his father and Thankful, to paint pictures of the Indians. Lawrence is made second in command because of his militia experience. Thankful gets to go along because she made a bargain with Hannah, to where Hannah would get their father to let her go along and Thankful would keep her mouth shut about Abigail's elopement. What will happen to Thankful, Lawrence, and their father in the west?

Richard Lander, the captain of the Prince, is a long time friend of Hannah's. Richard has become the talk of the town since rumors have gone around about his ship. Plus no one but the investors, Richard, and his crew know the destination of the ship and that has made many people mad. Richard asks Hannah to wait for him, but Hannah thinks that there's no trust between them. In the weeks before he is to leave Richard tries to prove to Hannah that he cares for her. Will Hannah decide to wait for Richard while he's gone?

Louis, a man Hannah was once engaged to, shows up at the door asking Hannah if she will watch his baby. Night Song, the baby, is half Indian and Kentuckians killed her mother during a raid on a Shawnee village. Will Hannah decide to keep the baby for Louis?

Hannah's father puts money into making the first cotton yarn factory in America. The factory ends up in trouble when the ladies of the surrounding community threaten to shut it down. Hannah is asked to help but will she? Will Hannah keep the family from falling apart?

I loved this book! The plot is great! I love how trust is the main idea behind this book, because I believe you have to have trust between people just like Hannah did. I enjoyed this book very much and I believe you will too!

Imagine you are a 14 year old girl who has to deal with the death of your dear mother. This situation would change your life forever.

Well that's what Hannah has to deal with in the story "A Stitch In Time" by Ann Rinaldi.

In this story Hannah is left with all the troubles that her mother has left behind after her death. There are many family problems Hannah can't deal with such as the way Hannah's father, Nathenial has betrayed his youngest son, Cabot; and the way Abigal, the oldest of the kids, ran off to marry Nate Vudeau, who she was forbidden to see. Hannah is making a quilt to try to piece back the lives they once had that were full of joy and happiness but now are full of pain and sorrow. Ann Rinaldi is a very dramatic writer. This came through in one if the scenes where Hannah gets a letter from her sister Abigal, Hannah thought Abigal was missing out at sea. The days and nights went by and Hannah had not gotten a letter from her sister. She had this awful feeling that something terrible had happened. She cried and wondered why Abigal had to go marry some wretched sea captain. Finally on a rainy, gloomy afternoon there was a quiet knock on the door. "I have a letter for you miss." Hannah's legs grew weak; she carefully took the letter. "Thank you," she replied. She quickly read the letter. It was from Abigal saying she was on an Island and doing well. Hannah's chest felt like an enormous weight had been lifted off off. If you enjoy a dash of History, and cups of drama; if you like books you can't put down...I recommend you should read "A Stitch In Time. You will love it!