Part of Series
Every word, every moment matters … Welcome to the Austin Family Reunion! 14-year-old Marielle Austin’s parents and grandparents are hosting family for a week in the Texas hill country, and Marielle’s five girl cousins are staying at her house. Emma and Caroline are her best friends – like her, they’re homeschooled and passionate about the Lord, the past, and books. Abby, Kailey, and Reanna are from Wisconsin and just as far away in background and interests – what’s hot in the world now is what matters to them. Grandpa Will Austin has devised a series of projects for the six of them to complete. There’s a shed to fix up, a missionary to interview, and a trail of clues to solve, leading to a treasure. If they finish by the end of the week and work together with love and understanding, they’ll earn a prize beyond anything they could imagine! But difficulties surface right away. Bad attitudes and work ethics seem all Abby, Kailey, and Reanna can offer. Marielle, Emma, and Caroline are at a loss – what can they do to push the projects through? And more importantly, what can they do about their cousins, who won’t welcome their friendship? How can they show love when it’s hard even to feel it? Will the mysterious prize slip away, and with it any chance of relationship?
Author
Raised in a house with thousands of books, Kelsey Bryant has been writing stories ever since she can remember and dreaming of when her books would join the ranks. Now a copyeditor as well, she loves helping other writers achieve their dreams. She draws inspiration for her writing from the Greatest Story Ever Told, which culminates in the Messiah’s salvation offered to every person. Her life would be meaningless without her relationship with Yeshua (Jesus). She’s also inspired by the classics, especially the works of her favorite authors Jane Austen, Elizabeth Goudge, L. M. Montgomery, and Elizabeth Gaskell. Like some of her fictional characters, she grew up homeschooled. Born and raised in the Texas Hill Country, she now lives in the Texas Panhandle with her husband, their entitled but affectionate half-Siamese, and their hyper yet sweet German shepherd. As an avid student of the Bible, she’s trying to make Hebrew her second language. To counteract all that time at a desk, she loves being active, especially practicing martial arts, chasing toddlers at her preschool day job, and exploring whatever beautiful places she can find in the great outdoors.
