Terpsichore and her family are going to be pioneers in Alaska! Times have been tough in Wisconsin during the Great Depression, and she's eager to make a new start. Terpsichore has often dreamed about living like Laura Ingalls Wilder, but the reality of their new home is a shock. The town is still under construction, the mosquitoes are huge, and when a mouse eats her shoelace, causing her to fall on her first day of school, everyone learns the nickname she had hoped to leave behind: Trip.
Despite all this, Terpsichore falls in love with Alaska--and her sparkling, can-do spirit is a perfect match for the wilderness. When she discovers there is no library, she helps start one, and with the aid of the long hours of summer sunshine, she's able to grow killer vegetables. With all these achievements, Terpsichore is sure she'll be earning a new nickname in no time! The only problem is her homesick mom, who misses polite society. Terpsichore is determined to stay put, so she hatches a plan to convince her mother that Alaska can be a wonderful, civilized home...a plan that's going to take all the love, energy, and Farmer Boy expertise she can muster.
This unique story, based on Alaska's real-life Palmer Colony, introduces a fascinating chapter in American history. Lively storytelling chock-full of details of the pioneering life will engage and entertain readers, who will be charmed by the intrepid Terpsichore.
