The Illinois state contender for the Rebecca Caudill Young Readers' Book Award Contest has the main character discovering an old flute in a cliff dwelling. Through its power he discovers experience with ancient Native American magic. This book is set in Dakota Territory in 1883 and involves the relationship between an orphaned teenager and her silverwhite foal, Snowbird. Oklahoma -Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. Story is set during the Depression and tells from a boy's earnest desire to obtain two hunting dogs to the responsiblity and care they give each other.
Story starts in Ohio.
Pennsylvania -Night Journeys by Avi. Set in the late 1770's, it is the story of two young indentured servants who make their escape with the help of Quakers in Bucks County. An Amish girl is horrifies when a hen egg hatches into a fancy bird. The little town referred to in the title is De Smet, SD, which is 9 miles from my own home town of Lake Preston. De Smet holds an outdoor pageant every summer based on incidents from one of Laura's books.