Books with author Cindy Kathleen Ernst

Caroline Abbott is doing what she loves most--sailing on Lake Ontario with Papa--when her world turns upside down. A British officer boards their sloop, announces that Britain and America are once again at war, and takes her father prisoner. As Papa is led away, Caroline promises him that she will be brave until he returns. Then the British attack her village, and it looks as if the Americans are in trouble. Can she stay steady enough to help win the day? The illustrated "Looking Back" section explores the beginning of the War of 1812.

It's 1775. Elspeth Monro, newly come from Scotland, is just beginning to feel at home in North Carolina, with a new friend and a weaving apprenticeship she loves. To Elspeth, the brewing Revolution feels very far away--until someone starts to threaten her own family, trying to force them to join the rebels. When her grandfather marches off to fight with the British, Elspeth is left alone to protect her grandmother--and to figure out who is putting her family in danger!

It's 1867. Twelve-year-old Emma Henderson is mortified when Mother takes to wearing a Reform Dress--hideous bloomers! Worse, Mother has accepted a newspaper job in wild, far-off Colorado Territory. But even Emma can't imagine just how badly things will go in Twin Pines. From the moment she and Mother step off the stagecoach, it's clear that someone doesn't want them there.This book includes a richly illustrated "Peak Into The Past" essay.

The War of 1812 is still raging when Caroline goes to visit her cousin Lydia and Uncle Aaron's farm deep in the woods. While there, she finds evidence that someone is smuggling precious supplies to the British. She can't believe anyone would help the enemy during wartime! Even worse: could the traitor be her own uncle? Includes an "Inside Caroline's World" essay about smuggling during the War of 1812.

A letter arrives for Caroline, asking her to come help her uncle Aaron and cousin Lydia on their new farm for the summer. Although Caroline is reluctant to leave her family, she's eager to lend a hand. So when she suspects that a thief has been stealing much-needed food from the farm, Caroline helps keep watch to guard against the uninvited visitor. Then she makes an unexpected discovery--and learns that some things are not as simple as they seem. The illustrated "Looking Back" section explores how America began to change at the end of the War of 1812.

Josefina has heard tales and legends all her life: rumors of gold and silver buried in the hills, and even stories of a ghostly Weeping Woman who haunts the countryside. She never imagined that such tales might be true until the day a mysterious stranger arrives at her rancho. Could all these stories lead to the discovery of a long-lost treasure or a terrifying omen? Includes a glossary of Spanish words and an "Inside Josefina's World" essay about New Mexican legends.

Caroline imagined it would be great fun to have two girls staying at her house for the winter. But her friend Rhonda and her cousin Lydia seem to have more in common with each other than they do with Caroline. Worse, they'd rather stay inside styling hair than go skating and sledding on a beautiful day. When nothing Caroline tries seems to change things, her hurt feelings lead her to make a dangerous decision--one that puts all three girls on very thin ice! The illustrated "Looking Back" section discusses Christmastime and growing up in the early 1800s.

An Agatha Award nominee for Best Children’s/Young Adult Mystery and a WILLA Award finalist for Best Children’s/Young Adult Book: In 1867, a twelve-year-old girl faces danger and disaster when she moves to the Colorado Territory with her widowed mother, who is hoping to start a newspaperEmma Henderson’s mother has changed since her father died fighting in the Civil War. First, she starts wearing an embarrassing bloomer costume—trousers under a short skirt. Then, she forces Emma to move to the far-off Colorado Territory so she can be editor of a newspaper! When Emma hears someone whistling her father’s favorite tune as they prepare to leave Chicago, she knows it’s a bad omen. The hardscrabble mining town of Twin Pines is very different from Emma’s former home in the city. Instead of having a house of their own, she and her mother must live in a boarding house. Worst of all, it’s clear from the moment they step off the stagecoach that someone doesn’t want them there. A troublemaker tries hard to sabotage the newspaper, and Emma continues to hear eerie whistling in the night. Is it the ghost of her father? With the help of her new friend Jeremy, Emma sets out to solve two baffling mysteries. This ebook includes a historical afterword.

“My name is Felicity Merriman,” says a girl your age. Instead of shorts or jeans, she’s wearing a long blue gown. “Have you just arrived in the city?” She must be one of the junior interpreters, you think. She’s really good, like an actor. You decide to play along. “It seems so.”Felicity nods. “Many have arrived since the royal governor schemed to steal the colonists’ gunpowder in the dark of night. Patriots have been streaming into Williamsburg like a river in flood!”What if you suddenly found yourself in Felicity’s world during the American Revolution ? Together, you and Felicity could hang out at her father’s store, sip tea at the Governor’s Place--or get caught up in a gunpowder plot! As you read, you decide what happens next by choosing your own path through this multiple-ending story.

When her father goes off to join the Yankee troops, fourteen-year-old Hannah fears her family will be torn apart by the Civil War. But nothing prepares her for her mother's sudden death. Hannah now finds herself responsible for keeping the young family together in a world where even her best friend, Ben, sympathizes with the Confederacy. On a long and dangerous journey from Cumberland Mountain to Nashville, Tennessee, in search of their only living relative, Hannah and her brother and sisters come to realize the true meaning of family and hope. This is a beautifully crafted novel about the tragedy of war and the power of love even in the toughest of times.

Caroline and her mother make a dangerous journey across Lake Ontario to the British fort where Papa is being held prisoner. When Mama isn't allowed to see Papa, it's up to Caroline to pass a secret message to him--right under the nose of a British guard! She hopes desperately that Papa will understand her message and make an escape. But can she get to him in time? The illustrated "Looking Back" section explores how the War of 1812 affected women and children.