Midnight in Lonesome Hollow: A Kit Mystery (American Girl Mysteries (Quality))
Kit, the Depression-era heroine of the American Girl mystery series, is visiting her aunt in rural Kentucky when Professor Lucy Vanderpool arrives to do research on Appalachian basket weaving. She asks Kit to help her collect information, but it soon becomes clear that someone doesn't want strangers nosing around Lonesome Hollow. At the same time, Kit is worried about her friend Fern. The county has threatened to send her to an orphanage, and Fern's older brother seems to have come up with a sketchy plan to earn money. Ernst does a fine job of showing not only the poverty of Appalachia during the Depression but also the ingenuity of its people. There is also a good deal about Kentucky's mining companies that used and abused their workers. The mystery element is solid, but this works best as an evocation of time and place. The historical backdrop is bolstered by the back matter, which gives more detail in words and photos. Cooper, IleneCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.