In pioneer Wisconsin in 1871, thirteen-year-old Carrie Heidenworth, daughter of a German immigrant family, runs for her life from the raging storm of the great Peshtigo Fire as it races through the countryside to the north of Green Bay. Separated from her family, with little brother Fritz in tow, Carrie races with others, including Father Pernin, priest of the local Catholic church, to a bridge crossing the Peshtigo River. Suddenly, young Carrie finds herself clinging to the back of a cow swimming in the river, praying that she and Fritz and several friends will survive the night as the firestorm raged overhead. The Peshtigo Fire occurred on the same night as the Great Chicago Fire (October 8) and was much more deadly, with over 1,000 lives lost. This dramatic chapter book for young readers, based in part on a true story, deals in positively with issues of faith and trust, friendship and courage. Recipient of a Book Award of Merit (1997) from the State Historical Society of Wisconsin.
Nelda Johnson Liebig (1930 - ) enjoys researching historical facts and turning them into historical fiction. Her current series include Carrie and the Crazy Quilt, Carrie and the Apple Pie, Carrie and the Boarding House, and Carrie and the Homestead. Carrie and the Crazy Quilt received an award from the Wisconsin State Historical Society. She also authored Jordyn Backpacks Isle Royale National Park, a juvenile book to instruct young people how to prepare for backpacking advenutres. Currently she is working on her memoirs which include her childhood in the oil boom days of Oklahoma; teaching Chippewa-Cree children in Montana, Eskimo children in teritorial Alaska, polynesians in American Samoa in the south Pacific, and children of missionaires in Moscow Russia.
Liebig and her husband have lived and/or traveled in all 50 states and 9 countries. Her interests include hiking wilderness trails of Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior, biking, enjoying her grandchildren and being active in her church. She and her husband recently moved to Gardner, Kansas from Wisconsin.
