The Crawford family, Mom, Dad, and all seven children live at the END OF THE ROAD in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. They are typical of the other families living in the quiet, laid-back town of Hazelgrove, which is made up mostly of farmers. Work, school, church, and family are the most important parts of their lives. That is, except for the Hall family. David Lee Hall, a gruff husband and father, is the closest neighbor of the Crawfords. Physically and verbally abusive to both his wife and sons, he thinks farming is for the ignorant and that he is far superior because...

During the early 1930's through the 1970's, it was tradition in the Southern Appalachian Mountains for families to find a thorn bush when they went into the mountains to cut their Christmas tree. They would decorate the sharp spires with colorful gumdrops for the children to enjoy. THE GUMDROP TREE is the story of a young girl who wanted to find the tallest, fattest, most beautiful Christmas tree of anyone in her town. It had to be very special. In this tale, Susie takes a long time to pick out the perfect tree for her family. After the tree stands in the corner with its shinny decorations,...