Recounts the adventures of a young boy and an escaped slave as they travel down the Mississippi River on a raft.

When Rose Wilder and her parents arrive in Missouri, they must work hard to make a rundown farm into their own home.

When drought and fire afflict Rocky Ridge Farm, eleven-year-old Rose Wilder and her parents temporarily move to Mansfield and try to adjust to a new life in town.

Rose meets a girl named Alva, a neighbor at her Missouri farm, and together they explore the hills, pick pokeweed, explore a cave, and have other adventures in the Ozark Mountains.

Eleven-year-old Lou wishes she could turn back time to mend her friendship with Francie after a terrible fight, so when Lou befriends Cece she is eager to prove herself, but as she uncovers the truth about Cece's family, she grapples with what being a good friend means.