This week's Pick is part mystery, part historical
adventure, part western, and part story of
redemption. What does that all add up to?
You'll find out.
It's 1871 in the town of Placid, Wisconsin,
and things are changing for 13-year-old Georgie
Burkhardt. The pigeon migration has come to
town. And Georgie's older sister, Agatha,
is being courted by two suitors and is expressing
an interest in going to college. But when
Georgie speaks up about something that's none
of her business, things change not just temporarily,
but finally: Agatha disappears, and when she
returns, it's as a corpse.
Dissatisfied with this outcome, Georgie sets
out on a nearly-deadly adventure of her own—to
uncover what really happened to her sister
on the wilds of the frontier. In the process,
she meets with some unsavory wildlife—both
human and animal—and discovers that the
need for redemption is universal, but that
it has to start with those we love.
There's lots about One Came Home to enjoy,
starting with Georgie, who's a sharp-shooting,
spitfire of a protagonist. Add to that the
elements of mystery, the charm of the wild,
wild west, and a lesson about forgiveness
that we could all take to heart, and you've
got a book that's wholly worth reading.
