Bakers Mountain Stories Series

In the wake of World War II, Ann Fay Honeycut grapples with her father’s trauma and the physical and emotional effects of polio—finding healing in the unlikeliest of places
 
Now that Daddy has returned from fighting Hitler and Ann Fay is home from the polio hospital, life should get back to normal. But Ann Fay discovers she no longer fits easily into old friendships and Daddy has been traumatized by the war. Her family and social life are both falling apart. Ever responsible, she tries to fix things until she finally admits that she herself needs fixing.
 
She travels to the Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, founded by Franklin D. Roosevelt, where she finds comfort, healing, and even a little romance. Although this invigorating experience does not solve all her problems, it does give Ann Fay a new view of herself.
 
In this Parents’ Choice Awards Recommended Book, sequel to Blue, Ann Fay makes new friends, reevaluates old relationships, and discovers her unique place in the community.

A Parents’ Choice Silver Honor Book

With her father on the frontlines of World War II, a young girl gains strength by joining her community’s battle against the 1944 polio epidemic

Ann Fay Honeycutt accepts the role of “man of the house” when her father leaves because she wants to do her part for the war. She’s doing well with the extra responsibilities when a frightening polio epidemic strikes, crippling many local children.
 
Her town of Hickory, North Carolina responds by creating an emergency hospital in three days. Ann Fay reads each issue of the newspaper for the latest news of the epidemic. But soon she discovers for herself just how devastating polio can be. As her challenges grow, so does her resourcefulness. In the face of tragedy, Ann Fay discovers her ability to move forward. She experiences the healing qualities of friendship and explores the depths of her own faithfulness to those she loves—even to one she never expected to love at all.
 
Based on the “Miracle of Hickory” Hospital in Hickory, North Carolina, Blue is at once a fascinating history of the 1944 polio epidemic and an inspiring coming of age tale for young and adult readers.