Nan Sherwood at Pine Camp; Or, the Old Lumberman's Secret

When her father's mill shuts down, twelve-year-old Nan Sherwood learns that courage matters more than wealth. A sharp-witted girl from a mill town, Nan faces hard truths about economic hardship while her friendship with wealthier classmate Bess strains under the weight of their different worlds. After Nan rescues a drowning boy during a winter skating accident, the Sherwoods receive unexpected news: a distant relative in Scotland has died, leaving them a potential inheritance. While her parents travel abroad to investigate, Nan is sent to Pine Camp, her Uncle Henry's lumber operation on the Michigan Peninsula. There, among the sawdust and towering pines, she stumbles upon a mystery that threatens the old lumberman who guards it. Nan must solve the puzzle using her wits and bravery, proving that a girl from a working-class family belongs at the heart of any adventure. This early 20th-century tale mixes social realism with frontier mystery, following one girl's journey from anxiety about her family's future to confident heroine of her own story.