Energetic eleven-year-old Elizabeth eagerly embraces mountain life when she moves with her family to her grandparents' West Virginia farm in the late 1940s. Adventures abound amid daily chores for this imaginative, inquisitive girl. But Elizabeth's idyllic life belies family troubles. Family and community alike shun her Uncle John-moody, intuitive, and withdrawn-and Elizabeth wants to know why. Can she forge a connection with Uncle John and will she be able to do it in time? Music, family ties, belief in God, farm animals, meals straight from the land, the beauty of the surrounding hills and the rich mountain culture play more than a supporting role in Elizabeth's story. Rose Creasy McMills lives in the Chicago suburbs but grew up in West Virginia. She holds a master's degree in English, has taught writing in college, and written for newspapers and magazines. This book is a return to the beloved hills of her childhood.