Twelve-year-old Ellie finds her middle-class family thrust by the Great Depression into foraging for existence in the woods on Echo Mountain, far removed from their former lives in town. In this book published in 2020 and written by Lauren Wolk, Ellie finds she loves the mountains, unlike her sister and her mother.

When her father is struck by a falling tree and lies in a coma, Ellie wants nothing more than to heal him. He’d taught her some of the woodsy healing arts, and she sets out to try them first on a seemingly stillborn puppy, then on her helpless father, and eventually on an injured neighbor everyone thinks is a witch.

Will people learn to take her odd ideas seriously? And, will they work?

This book contains a number of interesting and very quirky characters, a case of mistaken identity, and unexpected connections. It’s also written with a very lyrical voice which I loved. It’s a fairly long book, sure to appeal to girls who are adept at reading, age ten and up. Five stars. *****