FINDING YOUR PLACE

In Irwin’s middle-grade historical novel, a girl with low self-esteem tries to make friends and acclimate to a new neighborhood in the late 19th century.

Ginny Myers is a shy 11-year-old girl who lives in central North Carolina in 1894. Grieving the recent loss of her beloved grandmother, Ginny copes by spending time with her cat, Peaches, and her best friend and cousin, Annie. Unfortunately for Ginny, things get worse before they get better. The Myers family’s tobacco crops are failing to yield much, and their resulting financial situation is dire. In need of a fresh start, the family moves to the nearby Weaver Creek Mill Village, where the local mill has created a surplus of jobs. The entire clan contributes to the workload, with Ginny raising chickens for eggs and her older siblings working in the mill alongside her father. Despite the immediate friendliness of the townsfolk, Ginny lacks confidence and fails to believe in herself: “Who is that girl in the mirror, I thought, thinking she could act like she knew what she was doing?” Though Ginny does make friends, like Rowena Webb, whose father owns the company store, her self-esteem further plummets when she encounters Priscilla Parker, the daughter of the mill’s unfriendly superintendent, Mr. Parker. With no particular motivation, Priscilla goes out of her way to humiliate Ginny and her “farm girl” ways. Later, this contentious relationship comes to a head when Ginny is accused of a theft and suspended from school, putting the Myers family in a precarious position. Irwin’s novel spins an engaging and heartwarming tale. Though the plot and elementary prose is tailored for middle-grade readers, Ginny’s struggle with belonging and fitting into a new community is a topic readers of all ages can relate to. Setting Ginny’s trials and tribulations in the late 1800s cannily highlights how aspects of girlhood and young adulthood are universal, regardless of the historical period. Irwin deftly brings the novel’s setting to life while crafting an affecting story of one girl’s emotional journey.

A charming and relatable tale for younger readers.