Wakulla: A Story of Adventure in Florida

Two children trade snow for palm trees in this spirited 1885 adventure. Mark and Ruth Elmer bid farewell to their New England village, their father seeking renewed health in the subtropical wilds of Florida. The journey itself becomes the first trial: aboard the schooner Nancy Bell, they rescue a stranded man from an ice floe and navigate the rough waters of anticipation and fear. Florida unfolds before them like a fever dream of the imagination, alligators lurking in dark waters, orange groves gleaming in the sun, and whispers of pirates dancing in their dreams. Kirk Munroe captures that rare moment of childhood when the world feels impossibly vast and full of wonder. The siblings face the challenges of rebuilding a life in an alien landscape while navigating the complicated social world of post-Civil War Florida. This is adventure as children imagine it: dangerous enough to quicken the pulse, safe enough to carry them through the night. Perfect for readers who long for a time when an adventure could begin with a boat ride and end somewhere extraordinary.