"In the early 1920s, the accelerating destruction of the California redwoods is more than nature-loving Marion Baker can bear. After throwing herself headlong into the work of the Save the Redwoods League, she meets the handsome Frank Duncan—only to find out he’s the son of one of the area’s worst timber barons. Though deeply disappointed, she realizes she could have an opportunity to convince him to rescue her favorite grove of trees from his father’s greedy grasp. But as she grows to love Frank, will she be able to persuade him?
Or will she have to choose between him and her conservation efforts?
Nearly fifty years later, in 1972, polio survivor June Turner is deeply proud of the legacy her great-aunt Marion has left as a redwood warrior. Despite her disability, June is determined to prove herself capable as a ranger at the recently established Redwood National Park, even if it means taking to the trails with her crutch in hand. What better way to carry on the family tradition of preserving God’s magnificent creation?
When aspiring film student Adam Garner asks June to help make a documentary about Marion’s life, she swiftly grabs the chance to spread her aunt’s worthy reputation. That is, until they unearth a secret that might shatter the family legacy. In the scramble for answers, June may lose not only her family pride but also her own dreams.
“Karen Barnett’s passion and admiration for nature shines in this wonderfully paced and deftly executed story. If you enjoy books that cause your spirit to soar as high as the redwood treetops, I highly recommend Where Trees Touch the Sky.”—Katie Powner, Christy Award winner and author of The Wind Blows in Sleeping Grass"
"Kieran Lucas’s grandmother is slipping into dementia, and when her memory is gone, Kieran’s last tie to the family she barely knows will be lost forever. Worse, flashbacks of her mother’s death torment Granny Mac, and there’s precious little Kieran can do to help.
In 1931, the creation of the new Great Smoky Mountains National Park threatens Rosie McCauley’s home. Rosie vows the only way the commission will get her land is if they haul her off in a pine box. When a compromise offers her and her disabled sister the opportunity to stay for Rosie’s lifetime, her acceptance
sets her apart from the other mountain folk. And the bond she’s forming with ornithologist and outsider Benton Fuller only broadens the rift.
Eighty-five years later, Kieran heads back to the national park to find answers to her great-grandmother’s mysterious death and bring peace to Granny Mac before it’s too late. Park historian Zach Jensen may be the key to locating the answers.
But what Kieran needs clashes with the government regulations Zach is sworn to uphold. Can she trust God for a solution to heal this generations-old wound?"
"A man who can't read will never amount to anything—or so Nate Webber believes. But he takes a chance to help his family by signing up for the new Civilian Conservation Corps, skirting the truth about certain requirements. He exchanges the harsh Brooklyn streets for the wilds of Yellowstone National Park, curious if the Eden-like wonderland can transform him as well. Elsie Brookes was proud to grow up as a ranger's daughter, but she longs for a future of her own. After four years serving as a maid in the park's hotels, she still hasn't saved enough money for her college tuition. A second job, teaching a crowd of rowdy men in the CCC camp, might be the answer, but when Elsie discovers Nate's secret, it puts his job as camp foreman in jeopardy. Tutoring leads to friendship and romance—until a string of suspicious fires casts a dark shadow over their relationship. Can they find answers before all their dreams go up in smoke?"
"Watercolorist Olivia Rutherford has shed her humble beginnings to fashion her image as an avant-garde artist to appeal to the region's wealthy art-collectors. When she lands a lucrative contract painting illustrations of Yosemite National Park for a travel magazine, including its nightly one-of-a-kind Firefall event, she hopes the money will lift her and her sisters out of poverty. After false accusations cost him everything, former minister Clark Johnson has found purpose as a backcountry guide in this natural cathedral of granite and trees. Now he's faced with the opportunity to become a National Parks Ranger, but is it his true calling? As Clark opens Olivia's eyes to the wonders of Yosemite, she discovers that people are as vital to the park's story as its vistas—a revelation that may bring her charade to an end."
"It’s 1927, and the National Park Service is in its youth when Margie, an avid naturalist, lands a coveted position alongside the park rangers living and working in the unrivaled splendor of Mount Rainier’s long shadow. But Chief Ranger Ford Brayden is still haunted by his father’s death on the mountain, and the ranger takes his work managing the park and its crowd of visitors seriously. The job of watching over an idealistic senator’s daughter with few practical survival skills seems a waste of resources. When Margie’s former fiancé sets his mind on developing the Paradise Inn and its surroundings into a tourist playground, the plans might put more than the park’s pristine beauty in danger. What will Margie and Ford sacrifice to preserve the splendor and simplicity of the wilderness they both love?"
