Port Townsend, 1862…
Lucy’s curiosity has endless scope in Boston, but when her family moves to a tiny northwest town, she’s stuck with mud and trees. With a mouth quicker than caution, she soon betrays the only girl who’s helped her, defends a boy she resents, and lands herself in the midst of a simmering stew of conflicts between settlers and Indians, with sailors and miners swirling in the midst. A scalping, a green-eyed farm boy and the nagging feeling that her mother is hiding something leave Lucy thinking a little boredom might be welcome.
“A Cradle in the Waves is a remarkably well-told story with very believable characters based in a real town (Port Townsend) during its early development. The historical research makes 1860s Washington Territory come vividly alive. Although written for young people, Heckt grapples with very serious issues: race, politics, and the struggle to survive. What I loved the best: the petty fights, jealousies, bullying, gossip, and cliques of the teenagers—so contemporary, so real. I know these people!”
—Dr. Susan Zwinger, Author/illustrator of fine books of natural history
