Tree Soldier

This vigorously researched historical novel set during the Great Depression tracks the life of the leader of a Civilian Conservation Corps group working in the forests of Washington State. John %E2%80%9CPark%E2%80%9D Hardesty heads a motley band of teens thrust into road and construction work. But unlike his crew, Hardesty, while college educated, is fairly familiar with hard work. Breaking in his squad at Camp Kulshan, Hardesty must also confront his past while falling for the fetching, independent-minded local naturalist Kate Alford, with whom%E2%80%94after she saves his life in the forest%E2%80%94he shares his shameful family secret: after a terrible argument with his brother that resulted in a car accident, Hardesty was cast out of his family by his father. Oakley constructs this rugged romance with tremendous care, fully developing its characters, particularly the honorable Hardesty, and building moments of tension in an engaging and entertaining novel.