By Reef and Trail

Author: Fisher Ames, Jr.  
Category: Historical Fiction
Cover: Softcover
Pages: 300
Ages: 10 and up
Type: Fiction | Youth | Historical Fiction
Illustration: Illustrated
Rating: 960L
 
From the original 1909 edition.
Step back to a time before highrises lined the beaches of Florida—an era when most of Florida's interior was virtually unpopulated, and its coast hosted only a string of small villages. Wildlife abounds, and subtropical habitat sets the stage in this story, while sandy roads, shady hammocks, wetlands, lagoons, barrier islands and warm salt water serve as a backdrop.

Follow Bob as he grows from a "cracker" lad in the interior to a young man of the coast and keys. Bob learns the ways of the wildlife in the state's interior, and moving to the coast adapts himself to coastal life, becoming proficient at fishing and sailing. Above all, Bob is a lover of nature and is always striving to know it better. His appreciation of the Florida folk and their ways leads him to treat each person he meets with dignity and respect, while he displays integrity and wisdom, often missing from those much his senior.

And what would a story of the old Florida coast be without a quest for pirate treasure?—making for a rousing adventure for young and old alike, and providing another showcase for Bob's uncanny knowledge of his environment.

If you loved The Yearling, you won't want to miss this tale.