It's January 1911 in the tiny Cornish village of Penvarris, and Wilhelmina "Sprat" Nicholls is attending the funeral of her beloved Aunt Gypsy. Only 16, she's spent her life in this tiny, isolated village where life is often hard, although Sprat, not knowing anything different, is happy. But her aunt's funeral, unbeknownst to Sprat, is the starting point for all kinds of ensuing changes. Meanwhile, Denzil Vargo walks miles each day to work in an office. Although he is often reviled by the villagers for attempting to better himself, he too has a hardscrabble existence. The only bright spot is his blooming affection for Sprat. She and Denzil begin to grow close, but then his drunken and abusive father returns from Canada. This event, combined with the revelation of a secret, drives the two apart. In this first in a series, Aitken not only skillfully animates an intriguing setting but she also fashions a cliff-hanger that will take at least another book to solve.
Maria HattonCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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About the Author
the grandaughter of a miner killed in the Levant mine disaster. She has had three novels published under her own names as well as various textbooks poems, stories, and plays.