For fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Four Winds and Lisa Wingate’s Shelterwood comes a heartwarming historical novel following a homeless young girl as she struggles to survive during the Great Depression.
Rural Michigan, 1934. During the throes of the Great Depression, thirteen-year-old Silstice Trayson finds herself homeless, abandoned by her parents after a devastating house fire. Nearby, aging midwestern farmers Edna and Vernon Goetz are pillars of the community, but when do-gooder Edna takes up Silstice’s cause, Vernon digs in his heels, displaying his true nature as an ornery curmudgeon.
Theirs is a quiet-seeming community, but danger lurks beneath the bucolic façade. With so many youngsters leaving home to make it on their own, child trafficking has grown rampant, and Silstice and her two spirited young brothers soon find themselves in the sights of a ring of kidnappers that’s exploiting local children into forced labor—and worse. Meanwhile Vernon finds himself at risk of losing everything.
Narrated by Silstice, Vernon, and Edna, A Tiny Piece of Blue sets the customs and traditions of rural Michigan against a backdrop of thievery, bribery, and child-trafficking—weaving a suspenseful yet tender tale that ultimately winds its way to a heartwarming conclusion.
2025 American Fiction Book Awards Winner in Historical Fiction
2025 IPPY Book Awards Gold Medalist in Historical Fiction
“A beautiful piece of verbal artwork, with vivid descriptions of the characters, the places, and the desperate actions of desperate people. . .highly recommend to others who enjoy reading about history and people who face tragedy with tenacity.”—Story Circle Book Reviews
“An addictive drama with . . . engaging excitement and an admirable young female hero.”—Kirkus Reviews
“An emotionally compelling and inherently fascinating read from start to finish.”—Midwest Book Reviews
“This heartwarming tale . . . is a story about finding hope amidst adversity.”—Readers’ Favorite, 5-star review
“. . . A wonderful character-driven (and ultimately feel-good) novel that I had trouble putting down.”—B.J. Sedlock, Historical Novel Society
“Do you ever read a book that has such an impact on you that you know it will stay with you forever?”—Phyllis Jones Pisanelli Reviews
“In this soul-searching novel, heroes become villains and villains become heroes as two despairing teens join forces with a crotchety farmer to expose a kidnapping ring that has been selling children into slavery. Both shocking yet heart-warming, A Tiny Piece of Blue reminds us that mercy and forgiveness are always within reach.” —Betty Webb, author of Lost in Paris and The Clock Struck Murder
“A fantastic addition to fiction set during the Great Depression and to the triumphant spirit of those who survived." —Ann Howard Creel, author of The Whiskey Sea and While You Were Mine
Charlotte Whitney grew up on a Michigan farm and often heard stories about the difficult years of the Great Depression. Her widely acclaimed debut historical novel, Threads: A Depression Era Tale was followed by the historical mystery The Unveiling of Polly Forrest, which won multiple awards. She is also the author of two nonfiction books and a romance novel, I Dream in White. Charlotte received a master’s degree in English from the University of Michigan and spent much of her working career in higher education. An avid reader, she loves libraries and book clubs. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two Labrador retrievers.
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