Journey With the Comet by Dana Wayne Haley

Leona Haley's dream of becoming a famous astronomer like Edmund Halley has faded after having a child out of wedlock and then entering into a marriage of convenience; however her dreams in which she rides a magical comet through the heavens continue. When not riding on Haley's Comet, her wits and the help of a mysterious giant American Bald Eagle assists her journey through life––the same eagle that miraculously kept her from drowning when she was a 5-year-old. Unfortunately, Leona is forced to live with obnoxious in-laws who treat her and her child Marcy like dirt because "they're not blood," and often treat Leona's other children just as bad, forcing the frustrated, yet fearless woman to shield her children from the in-laws as best she can by continuing the Haley tradition of storytelling to keep them laughing, and by joining them in other fun and often adventurous activities.