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Eleven-year-old Tyler Stoudt starts sixth grade off on the wrong foot.  Not only does she have Miss Custer, the toughest teacher in school, but now Tyler is sure to flunk.  Miss Custer has announced that the schoolwork for the year will revolve around one project: a family tree.  Tyler doesn’t have a family tree—she has only Papa.  As Papa said, her family tree was “chop down and burnt up.”

Tyler decides to do her best on the family tree project.  But whenever she asks questions about the family, Papa acts cold, angry, and hurt.  Does she have grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles?  Tyler wants to know, but she is afraid of what she might find out.

“A poignant first novel about a young girl’s discover of her father’s Amish upbringing and her own family’s past . . .  As the world of Tyler’s family opens to her, the writing is consistently graceful; the unfolding story will enthrall readers.” Kirkus Reviews

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