The Wild Women of Lake Anna (Paperback, illustrated edition)

When 11-year-old Bailey Fish is unexpectedly sent from Florida to live with her civic-minded grandmother, Sugar, she is confronted by a bully, whose father is out to get Sugar. Bailey must adjust to her new surroundings, absent parents, an environmental mystery, and a challenge to help the bully's little sister learn to read. She takes inspiration and courage from the family's adventurous wild women, including Mae, a spy during World War I. Virginia's gold mining history is part of the mix. ForeWord magazine's March /April 2005 issue calls this a "stimulating mystory. . . In keeping with the latest trend in fiction books, the author seeks to educate as well as entertain. . .well-crafted, faced-paced novel" for ages 8-12.