The Big House by J. Keck

I dont know how Mama knew Daddy was going to hurt us, Minnie says. She yanked us out of the bed and over to the wall. The door flew open. There was a huge explosion! Daddy had fired his shotgun into our bed. Minnie leaves boarding school to spend the summer at The Big House, her cherished Grandpas home. She enjoys adventure, but she also learns of the dangers posed by the land and a river that can seduce the unwary. The arrival of Minnies great-grandmother provides her with a fearless female role model, as well as tales of the elderly womans antebellum past and how she survived the Civil War. She also learns of her Grandpas struggle to build a post-Civil War cotton and lumber empire in a wilderness of swamps, disease, and treacherous men willing to steal and murder. Minnies valuable lessons: one must face ones fears head-on, and one must never willingly become a victim. At the close of Summer young Minnie experiences devasting uheaval, but her innate courage allows her to face her fears . . . and to eventually triumph over them. A Gold Medal winner of the 2015 Global eBook Awards, this story is poignant, heartbreaking in turns, and empowering, transporting the reader into the heart and soul of a bygone era. A timeless story, it reflects the very best of the American character when confronting adversity.