In Summer Ruins, the first novel in this fun, contemporary series for readers ages eight through twelve, Gwen’s summer plans include swimming, shopping, and a party for her twelfth birthday.
Instead, Gwen’s parents drag her to their archeology dig on the South Dakota prairie where she must endure dirt, biting critters, and two motherless little boys.
Gwen might be clothed in sweat and grime, but she determines to save the ruins of her summer even if it wrecks her relationship with her mother.
Summer Ruins won a 2019 Oregon Christian Writers Cascade Award for a Published Young Adult/Middle Grade Book.
In Boots and Buckets, the second novel in the series, twelve-year-old fashionista Gwen wants to see an old friend at a trail ride.
But since Gwen doesn’t know how to ride (stinky) horses, she makes a deal with Harper, an assertive (blunt) classmate who plays polo (in South Dakota!) and wears cowboy boots to marching band practice (a fashion crime).
Harper agrees to teach her how to ride if Gwen uses her archeology skills to help Harper find a family treasure (if it exists).
While Gwen determines to face her fear of horses, her new adventure may cause her to become the newest sixth-grade outcast.
Where available:
My website store on this page
Child’s Play Toys (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Crossroads (Sioux Falls, S.D.)
Apple Books Summer Ruins/Boots and Buckets
For libraries and retailers, both novels are available through Ingram Books.