Books published by publisher Quarrier Press

n 1745, Mary Draper moved with her parents to Draper's Meadow in the Shenandoah Valley. Here they hoped to finally have rich farmland and the freedom to worship freely - far from the greedy landlords of their native Ireland and the partisan rules of Quaker Pennsylvania. Mary and her family were industrious and strong, quickly learning skills to survive on the frontier. In 1750, at the age of seventeen, Mary Draper married twenty-year old Will Ingles, the first wedding of two white settlers in the region. As more Europeans moved into the area, tension between the settlers and the Native Americans increased. Raids and killings by both sides became common. One day while the men were at harvest, a band of Shawnee warriors stormed Draper's Meadow, killing some settlers and burning the settlement to the ground. Taken captive were Mary, pregnant with her third child, her two young sons, and her injured sister-in-law. Through intuition and courage Mary impressed her kidnappers almost immediately. The captives were marched 800 miles over mountains to a Shawnee village on the Ohio River, presumably to spend the rest of their lives among the Shawnee tribe. But Mary vowed to escape and return to her husband and her people. The story of this remarkable woman's harrowing and courageous trip home places Mary Ingles at the pinnacle of American frontier heroes.

The rocks around their mountain farm serve all of the Woods family in many ways, both utilitarian and recreational, until the day two ladies from the city come to visit. The Woods family lived on the top of a windswept mountain. Their farm was on old rocky soil, and they made their living the best they could. They raised knee-high corn, walnut-sized potatoes, but you'd hear no complaints from them. Their house was drafty, their animals skinny, their clothes patched. But one thing they had was pockets, and in their pockets they carried rocks. Yes, rocks. They were very important. They carried rocks to keep from being blown away; they played games with them; they'd worry them; and they wrapped them in heavy socks, after heating them by the fire, to keep warm at night. But early one summer day, the rocks proved to be more important than all these things and changed life forever for the Woods family. An amusing tale of resourcefulness and honesty. "A subtle but beguiling message about values, packaged in an offbeat, entertaining tale." - Kirkus Reviews

Miracles await the reader in this instant West Virginia classic by the poet laureate of West Virginia, Marc Harshman, and the gifted painter, Cecy Rose. Every page reveals a new glimpse of Santa coming to the mountains with his sleigh and reindeer. You do not have to be a West Virginian to enjoy this book, but natives will certainly recognize iconic scenes featuring such familiar sights as the State Capitol, Green Bank Observatory and Blackwater Falls. Cecy Rose has crafted magnificent illustrations to complement the story that add their own rich layer of visual storytelling to Harshman s compelling voice. With poetic stanzas, each of which teases us with the coming arrival of Santa Claus, this is sure to become a keepsake volume for children of all ages.

Isn t it time there was a fairy tale aimed at girls and women who wear hiking boots, don t comb their hair, and love pick-up trucks? The prince in this story wants to marry a real mountain princess, so he searches all the mountain ranges in the world... looking in the Sierras for women in tiaras, and at Glass Mountain for ladies wearing just one shoe. He ends up going home alone, only to be found by a princess who knows what she wants and isn t afraid to set out into the world on her own to find it. The Princess and the Pick-up Truck is a modern retelling of The Princess and the Pea, but with an Appalachian, or at least rural, slant.

When I was little, we couldn t see the stars in the nighttime sky because the furnaces of the mill turned the darkness into a red glow. So begins the beautifully told and illustrated No Star Nights. This book recollects growing up in a steel-mill town with its memorable sights and sounds, sometimes glorious and sometimes frightening. Life was marked by the shifts the fathers worked at the mill, and vacation pay, which meant Christmas in July. Special summer days included baseball games in Pittsburgh. A child s insightful memory of the past. WINNER 1990 - IRA Children's Book Award for Younger Readers

A collection of fifteen stories some well-known, some lesser known, and some brand new about West Virginia ghostly creatures. Beautifully illustrated with original paintings by Erin Turner, the stories are perfect for children s story time or a family campfire. Natives will recognize and enjoy tales of the state s most famous creatures and ghosts: the red-eyed Mothman, the green-cloaked Flatwoods Monster, and the unstoppable Greenbrier Ghost. Other stories focus on strange beings spotted the world over: aliens, the fabled Bigfoot, and UFO s. The Mountain State s seclusion has attracted stories about giant catfish, apple pickers, and mythic birds. Headless ghost, the ogua water monster, and haunted houses are also included. As home to a volatile and sometimes bloody history we ve been left with more than our share of disgruntled spirits.

Start with a neighborhood. Add residents: elderly men, young boys, a girl, a few cats, a dog–and an old woman who goes missing before we really get to know her. Add delectable food, snow, accidents and adventures and above all, add love, humor, compassion and understanding. Mix well and what you have is Missing: Mrs. Cornblossom, the new children’s book by Colleen Anderson of Charleston, WV.The story unfolds bit by bit, beginning with Mrs. Cornblossom leaving her beloved home and garden because, as she tells her neighbor’s cat, “I am going to die.” Where does she go? That question lingers throughout the story, weaving in and out of the activities of Toothbucket, her homely and homey neighbor, through the arrival of Inchbald who has bought Mrs. Cornblossom’s house, and the antics of Nell, Ed, and Caleb who are best friends and interact comfortably and companionably with their elderly and eccentric neighbors.What is compelling about the story is the ordinariness of life in Arlington Court after Mrs. Cornblossom’s disappearance. People do the same things they always did, even though one of them has gone missing. Anyone who has experienced the sudden loss of a friend or relative knows how surreal it seems that life should go on after such a stunning event, and yet it does, because it must. Pets must be fed, houses cleaned, mail picked up. Arlington Court goes on with these activities, but beneath the the daily routine the neighbors draw closer together as they puzzle over the unlikely disappearance of their friend. They are watchful of each other’s well-being. Everyone helps take care of Toothbucket when he is ill, and Inchbald provides wise listening while feeding his visitors well with fine cooking , music and the fine things of life. Even though they have lost a dear friend, the children in the story are safe in this nurturing neighborhood.A winter walk gone awry, journal entries that seem to emanate from a mysterious source, an unfulflled birthday wish, a strange cat that lives in an abandoned mansion and over it all the joy and peace of a community living in harmony combine in a story with surprises scattered throughout its 87 pages. Missing: Mrs. Cornblossom is a quick read, and yet it is a story that will not soon be forgotten, a tale whose grace and compassion echo in the heart long after the last page is turned. This might be classified as a children’s book, but readers of all ages, particularly those dealing with the loss of a loved one, will the quiet simplicity and peaceful joy of the story.Colleen Anderson is well known for her art, poetry, songwriting and singing performances, and her occasional essays on West Virginia Public Radio. She is the author of several books including the West Virginia One-Day Trip Book and is a frequent contributor to regional and national periodicals, and with this most recent publication can now add children’s author to her impressive resume.Copyright 2012 Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No republication or redistribution allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Seventh grader Venola Mae Cutright always entertains with her wise and witty diary entries. In the fourth book in the Venola series, the saucy heroine resolutely becomes a vegetarian, accepts the pending birth of her sixth sibling, and learns about cancer with her 84-year-old friend Miss Wilma. Her initially rash swing to vegetarianism begins after she is grossed-out by seeing her own saliva cells under the microscope. Amid skepticism and discouragement, Venola embarks on an ambitious and thoughtful food journey. She educates herself about nutrition, creates adventurous menus, and learns to cook for her family, one that includes four ravenous big brothers. Her new-found vegetarian ideals even earn her the respect of her older sister, important at a time when Venola is facing not being the baby of the family any longer. She also sticks with friend Miss Wilma the hip old lady who lives above the funeral home as Miss Wilma is diagnosed and treated for breast cancer. Miss Wilma teaches her strength in the face of adversity, while also teaching her to sauté asparagus. As always, the two friends still enjoy making brownies together. If any of us would take a page from Venola s diary and approach problems with her gusto and humor, we d be all smiles! Dear Journal, If one more person mentions the word BABY to me, I might just explode. It s all I ve heard from my parents for the last few months. Ahhhh! I mean, there s other stuff going on in the world, right? So what s the big deal about another child in our already over-crowded clan? I keep praying, Please don t let it be a boy. Four brothers are enough! Well, I better get moving before my paper customers start complaining. Sincerely, Venola Mae Cutright

Old Edna Cornblossom is gone, and the whole neighborhood misses her. Welcome to Arlington Court, where a trio of ten-year-olds, two eccentric adults, and a mischievous calico cat discover that, together, they carry their friend s beloved memory forward in their own lives. Colleen Anderson has the rare gift of turning the everyday worked into something magical. Missing: Mrs. Cornblossom has a timeless feel. Written with a poet s eye and brimming with heart, readers of this story will be hooked from the very first page. Prepare to be utterly charmed by Inchbald, Toothbucket, Cocobean the cat and, of course, Mrs. Cornblossom. Sarah Sullivan, author of Passing the Music Down, an NCTE 2012 Notable Children s Book in the Language Arts First there was Wonderland, then Middle Earth, not long ago Hogwarts, and now Arlington Court. Colleen Anderson can imagine worlds we want to visit with the best of them, and in her tale of Toothbucket, Inchbald, and Cocobean the cat, we meet friends we want to keep for the rest of our lives. With the language of the poet and the narrative prowess of the storyteller, Anderson shows us that even in the most mundane places there is mystery; that the safest spaces can contain loss, but ultimately joy; and that we often forget to search for beauty where it is most profound in ourselves. Anita Skeen, Director, the RCAH Center for Poetry at Michigan State University and author of Never the Whole Story