One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

Georgie only has one sister and all she really wants is to keep Agatha from getting married and moving away. All of Georgie’s efforts backfire though, when one day Agatha runs away without so much as a goodbye. After Agatha has been gone for a few days the Sheriff goes off in search of her, but all he brings back is a disfigured corpse. The only identifing traits of this corpse are the auburn hair and the blue-green ball gown which Agatha’s mother had sewn. While her family accepts this as Agatha’s body, Georgie is convinced that is a mistake. She knows in her gut that Agatha is still alive. Georgie’s family tells her that she is in denial and needs to face the facts, but as far as Georgie can see, there aren’t enough facts to draw a conclusion. So, Georgie decides to run away herself, to find the truth—and Agatha—if she can. Accompanied by an unwanted companion and riding a mule she can’t control, Georgie’s trip gets off to a rocky start. The expidition goes from bad to worse and as Georgie gets farther and farther from home she loses hope in Agatha’s return.  As the danger grows, we start to wonder–will Georgie make it home alive?

Because One Came Home includes several deaths and can be gruesome at times, I would recommend the book for upper elementary and more mature readers. This beautifully written novel set in 19^th century Wisconsin has a little bit of romance, a lot of mystery, and even more adventure—One Came Home is not to be missed!

Reviewed by Grace

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