First published 1948
Pierre watches his father survey their fields with worried eyes. The family farm in rural France barely produces enough to survive, and creditors threaten to take everything away. His parents work from dawn until dark, but the soil yields less each season. Pierre wants to help save Blue Spring Farm, the only home he has ever known. He discovers that small acts of determination can make a difference when everything seems lost. The boy learns that families pull together during the hardest times, and that hope can grow even in the poorest ground. This quiet story shows how courage appears in unexpected places when people refuse to give up on what matters most to them.
Genres: family-life, historical-fiction, 20th-century, agriculture
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, perseverance
Setting: Blue Spring Farm, France
Period: 20th-century
Hardcover · Viking Juvenile