A Way in the Wilderness

13 year old Cady Coil and her family have been living on the outskirts of the Cherokee Nation in Georgia for six long years. It's 1838, the beginning of the forced removal west for the Cherokee people known as the Trail of Tears. Cady's father, an Irish trader, moved the family south to keep them safe from Georgia militia soldiers who killed his oldest son. Cady has not only had to deal with new neighbors, a new school, and hateful peers, she has been forced to keep the family's secret—her mother was a Cherokee! Then one day she meets a new friend, a Cherokee boy named Bear Tracks, when she wonders across the border into the Cherokee Nation in search of a good fishing hole. Now a whole new set of problems present themselves. Cady and Bear Tracks become best friends. She learns about the plight of her people and feelings of guilt begin to plague her. She has a grandfather who still lives in the nation, but she can't remember what he looks like or exactly where his cabin is. Curiosity, friendship, and a new sense of loyalty to her people cause her to keep crossing the border into the forbidden realm. Then one day she and her secret friend come face to face with those dreaded militia soldiers, and in a split-second, Cady is forced to decide if she will keep her secret or stand with her friend in his darkest hour. Find out how God makes a way in the wilderness as Cady and Bear Tracks are thrown into a stockade prison and then put on the Trail of Tears.