Skip to Main Content

The Miner's Daughter

LIST PRICE $19.99

PRICE MAY VARY BY RETAILER

Buy from Other Retailers

About The Book

Perhaps there is always a mark, when another person touches you, an invisible thread connecting you to them.

Backbreaking work, threadbare clothes, and black coal dust choking the air -- this is what a miner's daughter knows. Willa Lowell fears that this dust marks her to be nothing else, that she will never win against the constant struggle to survive. Even the fierce flame of her family's love -- her one bright spot against the darkness -- has begun to dim.

Willa yearns for a better life -- enough food to eat, clothes that fit, and a home free of black grit. She also yearns for a special love, the love of a boy who makes her laugh and shares the poetry she carries in her heart.

When a much brighter future is suddenly promised to her family, Willa knows it is a miracle . . . until she discovers that every promise has a price. But she also discovers that the real change has burned inside her all along -- if only she is strong enough to mine it.

Writing in a style that is as breathtaking and lyrical as it is powerful, Gretchen Moran Laskas draws from her family's past to bring to life the story of a girl struggling against seemingly insurmountable odds. The Miner's Daughter will touch readers' hearts and stay with them long after they've read the last word.

About The Author

Gretchen Moran Laskas has also written the adult novel The Midwife's Tale, which also takes place in West Virginia. She grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, but currently lives in Fairfax, Virginia, with her family. Visit her at www.gretchenlaskas.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (February 6, 2007)
  • Length: 256 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781416912620
  • Grades: 7 and up
  • Ages: 12 - 99

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

"In The Miner's Daughter, Gretchen Laskas brings to life a harsh and real -- yet beautiful -- world that is nothing less than fascinating." -- Cynthia Kadohata, author of Kira-Kira

Awards and Honors

  • Bank Street Best Books of the Year
  • Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best
  • Texas Tayshas High School Reading List

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images