The Bread Sister of Sinking Creek

When 14-year-old Maggie Callahan struck out to find a new life in the back woods of Pennsylvania, she didn't know it would mean packing on a horse over stony trails for two weeks. But she hung on, thinking of the warm welcome she was sure to receive at her dear Aunt Franny's homestead farm. When she arrives, she finds the cabin deserted; Aunt Franny has moved farther west. With nothing but her Aunt's gift of a pouch of sourdough starter yeast around her neck, Maggie carves out a life for herself in the wilderness, using Aunt Franny's lessons to become the ``Bread Sister'' of Sinking Creek. In this adventure story of a young woman's search for a place in the world of pioneer America, Moore expertly blends the excitement and danger of living alone under rustic conditions with the primal, earthy process of bread baking. Maggie emerges as a down-to-earth, sensible girl with a streak of wildness that readers will find irresistible. Ages 9-12. (Apr.)