Quirky, freckle-faced Annie May Parker, who believes in omens and spirits, is coming of age in the 1950s in central New York farm country, the middle sibling between a boy-crazy older sister and a lovable little brother in a family headed by a hard-working traditional widowed mother. Annie May discovers a trove of dusty journals in the attic of the family farm house that hold stories of the courage and deeds of daring of a diverse set of family ancestors whose spirits she is certain are watching over her.

Determined to make them proud she sets out to make her mark in the world. Just as...