The Wild Women of Lake Anna

A young adult novel intended for ages 8-12 by award winning author Linda Salisbury, The Wild Women of Lake Anna is the story of an eleven-year-old girl, Bailey Fish, sent from Florida to live with her grandmother Sugar in Virginia. While she adjusts to her new life and deals with a bully on the school bus, her grandmother investigates the source of pollution in Contrary Creek, which used to be mined for gold. The bully's father is out to get Sugar, but she is not intimidated because she is proud of her lineage of strong women, and tells Bailey stories about them, including one who was a spy during World War I. Inspired by Sugar's stories, Bailey makes a discovery in Sugar's attic and decides to become a "wild woman" herself, and search for the former gold mine for her school project. An unexpected discovery awaits her in this upbeat, cheerful tale of individual empowerment.