Merryman

In this slice-of-life, domestic drama, historical fiction set in the American Midwest of the Gilded Age, 16-year-old Jess Picaro catches a train to a small farming community in western Kansas in a desperate bid to escape from his past.

Sunrise.

Life was going on.

My mind stepped in. But you don't have a life now.

That's right.

You have to get a new life.

Sixteen-year-old Jess Picaro has been living a wild and directionless life. But now he also has a terrible secret. He is desperate to get away before this secret is discovered. And he's convinced the only place for a person like him is the Wild West.

His first move is to make a five-year-old orphan believe that he is her lost brother. At first this is just a ploy to get a free train ride, but as the trip continues, his plans change.

Convinced he has escaped his past, Jess throws himself into a new life as a farmhand in the community of Buckner, Kansas. It's a place of surprises -- people, challenges, and opportunities -- that Jess has never imagined before. It's almost as if he has found a life that's too good to be true.

But when his past catches up to him, Jess's new life begins to collapse.

Will he ever reveal the secret he is running from?

With engaging storytelling and clear narrative, author Vanessa Sperling takes you on a wild journey to the 1800s American Midwest alongside a courageous teenager as he discovers himself while trying to escape from a mysterious past.

Readers who loved the classic stories Oliver Twist, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and Anne of Green Gables will also enjoy reading Merryman, a heartwarming story that will keep you turning pages all the way to its shocking ending.