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KCU / CCPL present Adventure Begins @ Your Library - Backyard Adventure

KCU / CCPL Summer Reading 2024 - Backyard

Books in Your Library

Do you prefer to read a print book?  Look for the following titles in your local libraries - Carter County Public Library (https://evolveopac.infovisionsoftware.com/cartercounty/) and Kentucky Christian University (https://kentuckychristianuniversity.on.worldcat.org/).  Just click on the tabs to see books written by Kentucky authors!  Note that there are a lot of Jesse Stuart books.  He was born, grew up, and taught school in Greenup County Kentucky.  His books reflect many "backyard" adventures.  Enjoy!

 

 

AT KENTUCKY CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY'S YOUNG LIBRARY

 

  • River of Earth- By James Still
  • Call number - 813.52 St541r
  • " It is the story, seen through the eyes of a boy, of three years in the life of his family and their kin. He sees his parents pulled between the meager farm with its sense of independence and the mining camp with its uncertain promise of material prosperity. In his world privation, violence, and death are part of everyday life, accepted and endured. Yet it is a world of dignity, love, and humor, of natural beauty which Still evokes in sharp, poetic images." (From Goodreads)

 

  • Foxfire Volumes 1-12 
  • Call number - 390.0975 F836W
  • "Since the first volume published in 1972, the Foxfire books have brought the philosophy and wisdom of the mountains to millions, teaching creative self-sufficiency and preserving the stories, crafts, and customs of Southern Appalachia. Inspiring and practical, this classic series has become an American institution.
    This set includes the following 12:
    Foxfire 1: Hog Dressing, Log Cabin Building, Mountain Crafts and Foods, Planting by the Signs, Snake Lore, Huniting Tales, Faith Healing, Moonshining.
    Foxfire 2: Ghost Stories, Spring Wild Plant Foods, Spinning and Weaving, Midwifing, Burial Customs, Corn Shuckin’s, & Wagon Making
    Foxfire 3: Animal Care, Banjos and Dulcimers, Hide Tanning, Summer and Fall Wild Plant Foods, Butter Churns, Ginseng
    Foxfire 4: Fiddle Making, Springhouses, Horse Trading, Sassafras Tea, Berry Buckets, & Gardening.
    Foxfire 5: Ironmaking, Blacksmithing, Flintlock Rifles, & Bear Hunting
    Foxfire 6: Shoemaking, 100 Toys and Games, Gourd banjos and Song Bows, Wooden Locks, & A Water-powered Sawmill
    Foxfire 7: Ministers and Church Members, Revivals and Baptisms, Shaped-Note and Gospel Singing, Faith Healing and Camp Meetings, Foot Washing, Snake Handling
    Foxfire 8: Southern Folk Pottery From Pug Mills, Ash Glazes, Groundhog Kilns to Face Jugs, Churns, Roosters, Mule Swapping and Chicken Fighting
    Foxfire 9: General Stores, The Jud Nelson Wagon, A Praying Rock, A Catawban Indian Potter, Haint Tales, Quilting, Home Cures, The Log Cabin Revistited
    Foxfire 10: Railroad Lore, Boarding Houses, Depression-Era Appalachia, Chairmaking, Whirligigs, Snake Canes, Gourd Art
    Foxfire 11: The Old Home Place, Wild Plant Uses, Preserving and Cooking Food, Hunting Stories, Fishing, More Affairs of Plain Living
    Foxfire 12: Square Dancing, Crafts, Cherokee Traditions, Summer Camps, World War Veterans, Personalities" - (From Goodreads)

 

 

  • Blue Jacket - By Allan W. Eckert
  • Call number - 613.54 Ec572b
  • "In the year 1771, a white boy named Marmaduke Van Swearingen was captured by the Shawnee Indians in what is now West Virginia, but was then the edge of the American frontier. Impressed with his bravery, he was not killed but instead was taken to Ohio where he was adopted into the tribe and given the name Blue Jacket, from the blue shirt he was wearing at the time of his capture.

    Eckert has taken all of the known facts of Blue Jacket’s life and has woven them into a narrative of compelling interest, with a very different perspective on the way America was settled. The reader will learn what life was really like on the dangerous frontier wilderness that was West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio before the Revolutionary War." (From Jesse Stuart Foundation)

 

 

  • Johnny Logan: The True Story of a Shawnee who became a Spy - By Allan W. Eckert
  • Call number - 813.54 Ec572j
  • " Blue Jacket’s popularity inspired Allan W. Eckert to write Johnny Logan, the true story of a Shawnee who became a U.S. spy, and it was first published in 1983. Logan was one of the greatest Indian friends the white man ever had on the American frontier; and he was the only Native American buried with full United States military honors." (From Jesse Stuart Foundation)

 

 

 

  • The Frontiersmen - By Allan W. Eckert
  • Call number - 977.01092 Ec572f
  • " The frontiersmen were a remarkable breed of men. They were often rough and illiterate, sometimes brutal and vicious, often seeking an escape in the wilderness of mid-America from crimes committed back east. In the beautiful but deadly country which would one day come to be known as West Virginia, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, more often than not they left their bones to bleach beside forest paths or on the banks of the Ohio River, victims of Indians who claimed the vast virgin territory and strove to turn back the growing tide of whites. These frontiersmen are the subjects of Allan W. Eckert’s dramatic history." (From Jesse Stuart Foundation)

 

  • A Place on Earth- By Wendell Berry
  • Call number - 813.54 B459p
  • " Published in 1967, we return to Port William during the Second World War to revisit Jayber Crow, the barber, Uncle Stanley, the gravedigger, Jarrat and Burley, the sharecroppers, and Brother Preston, the preacher, as well as Mat Feltner, his wife Margaret, and his daughter-in-law Hannah, whose son will be born after news comes that Hannah’s husband Virgil is missing." (From Goodreads)

 

 

 

  • A Sorrow in Our Heart: The Life of Tecumseh - By Allan W. Eckert
  • Call number - 977.004973 Ec572s
  • " Though there are many biographies of the great Shawnee chief Tecumseh (1768-1813), this effort by historical novelist Allan W. Eckert may spark new interest — and controversy — with its “hidden dialogue” technique. After more than 25 years of research, the author felt free to recreate Tecumseh’s conversations and thoughts in what proves to be an entertaining blend of fact and fiction. The orator and organizer’s life was shaped by his tribe’s tragic confrontation with westward-moving whites, who encroached on Native American lands along the Ohio River valley. His long struggle against this dispossession led Tecumseh to create a historic confederacy of tribes, but this crowning achievement was destroyed by his own brother at Tippecanoe in 1811." (From Jesse Stuart Foundation)

 

  • Hannah Fowler - By Janice Holt Giles
  • Call number - 813.54 G392h
  • " Samuel Moore and his daughter Hannah set out for the border country with a party led by George Rogers Clark but left to follow the Kentucky River to Boones' Fort. As the story opens, Hannah is nursing her father, injured when an axe slips and cuts his leg. By the time Tice Fowler, on his way to Logan's Fort, stumbles upon them alone in the wilderness, Samuel is dying from blood poisoning.When Samuel dies, Tice takes Hannah to the fort, where women are scarce, and Hannah finds herself besieged by suitors. Only with Tice, as silent and downright as herself, does Hannah feel at ease. Finally, she turns to the bashful Tice and asks him to marry her and take her away from the crowded fort.Together, they take their claim to land, build a cabin, and start a family. They endure the harsh frontier life, the threat of hungry wolves, a killing blizzard, and Indian raids." (From Goodreads)

 

 

  • Beatinest Boy- By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - JF St926b
  • " Grandma Beverley is fond of saying that David is the "beatinest" boy who ever grew up in the valley. And David is sure that his grandmother is the smartest, most wonderful woman in the world. They help one another and learn from one another. David teaches Grandma Beverley how to let the wind rake the leaves they need to make the cow's stall warm and dry. Grandma Beverley helps him nurse a homeless, starving puppy, "Orphan" back to health. David is grateful to her for helping him save Orphan, and he wants to make her the happiest woman in the world. He wants to find a special Christmas present for her. When his ideas for earning money do not work out, he gets an idea for a beautiful and perfect gift he can make for his grandmother from materials that have been right at hand all the time." (From Goodreads)

 

  • A Penny's Worth of Character- By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - JF St92p
  • " Shan is dishonest with the storekeeper in his rural Kentucky community, but he feels better about himself after his mother forces him to put things right." (From Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

 

  • The Rightful Owner- By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - GR STU
  • " Mike finds a hounddog in the pasture which is obviously lost. Someone has been mean to the dog, and Mike wants him very much, but the hound won't come near him. Finally, his father helps him bring the dog home. After Mike and Speckles become inseparable, a neighbor claims to be the dog's rightful owner. Two dramatic encounters show that a good hound never forgets his real master. " (From Goodreads)

 

 

  • Red Mule- By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - 813.52 St92r
  • " Working to save the mules in their Kentucky community from being butchered at the cannery, twelve-year-old Scrappie and his friend Red Mule see their cause vindicated when tractors get stuck in the river mud and only mules can pull them out" (From Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

  • Old Ben -  By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - JF St92o
  • " For Shan, it began as an ordinary summer's day. He was doing what he liked best, walking barefoot down a wellworn cow path to a clover field where he knew a sweet apple tree grew. Then he met Old Ben, a big bull black snake, sunning himself in the clover, and that summer day and all the days that followed, until early fall, became extraordinary. "The only good snake is a dead snake." That's what Shan's father had always said. But Old Ben with his gentle, friendly ways changed that saying and brought a new understanding about snakes to every member of Shan's family." (From Goodreads)

 

 

  • Andy Finds a Way By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - JF St92a
  • " A Kentucky farm boy tries to save his pet heifer from being sold for veal." (From Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

AT CARTER COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY

 

  • River of Earth- By James Still
  • Call number - Olive Hill F STIL     Grayson  F STI
  • " It is the story, seen through the eyes of a boy, of three years in the life of his family and their kin. He sees his parents pulled between the meager farm with its sense of independence and the mining camp with its uncertain promise of material prosperity. In his world privation, violence, and death are part of everyday life, accepted and endured. Yet it is a world of dignity, love, and humor, of natural beauty which Still evokes in sharp, poetic images." (From Goodreads)

 

  • Foxfire Volumes 1-12 
  • Call number - Grayson  975.8 FOX 1-12
  • "Since the first volume published in 1972, the Foxfire books have brought the philosophy and wisdom of the mountains to millions, teaching creative self-sufficiency and preserving the stories, crafts, and customs of Southern Appalachia. Inspiring and practical, this classic series has become an American institution.
    This set includes the following 12:
    Foxfire 1: Hog Dressing, Log Cabin Building, Mountain Crafts and Foods, Planting by the Signs, Snake Lore, Huniting Tales, Faith Healing, Moonshining.
    Foxfire 2: Ghost Stories, Spring Wild Plant Foods, Spinning and Weaving, Midwifing, Burial Customs, Corn Shuckin’s, & Wagon Making
    Foxfire 3: Animal Care, Banjos and Dulcimers, Hide Tanning, Summer and Fall Wild Plant Foods, Butter Churns, Ginseng
    Foxfire 4: Fiddle Making, Springhouses, Horse Trading, Sassafras Tea, Berry Buckets, & Gardening.
    Foxfire 5: Ironmaking, Blacksmithing, Flintlock Rifles, & Bear Hunting
    Foxfire 6: Shoemaking, 100 Toys and Games, Gourd banjos and Song Bows, Wooden Locks, & A Water-powered Sawmill
    Foxfire 7: Ministers and Church Members, Revivals and Baptisms, Shaped-Note and Gospel Singing, Faith Healing and Camp Meetings, Foot Washing, Snake Handling
    Foxfire 8: Southern Folk Pottery From Pug Mills, Ash Glazes, Groundhog Kilns to Face Jugs, Churns, Roosters, Mule Swapping and Chicken Fighting
    Foxfire 9: General Stores, The Jud Nelson Wagon, A Praying Rock, A Catawban Indian Potter, Haint Tales, Quilting, Home Cures, The Log Cabin Revistited
    Foxfire 10: Railroad Lore, Boarding Houses, Depression-Era Appalachia, Chairmaking, Whirligigs, Snake Canes, Gourd Art
    Foxfire 11: The Old Home Place, Wild Plant Uses, Preserving and Cooking Food, Hunting Stories, Fishing, More Affairs of Plain Living
    Foxfire 12: Square Dancing, Crafts, Cherokee Traditions, Summer Camps, World War Veterans, Personalities" - (From Goodreads)

 

  • The Kentuckians- By Janice Holt Giles
  • Call number - 813.54 GIL
  • " Giles invited the reader to experience the danger and beauty of life on the American frontier.Many of the frontiersmen were hunter in search of escape from an ever advancing civilization, seeking freedom and space." (From Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

 

  • Mr. Gallion's School - By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - F STU
  • " Mr. Gallion's School is based on Jesse Stuart's years of personal experience as a principal and teacher." (From Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

 

  • Beatinest Boy- By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - JF STU
  • " Grandma Beverley is fond of saying that David is the "beatinest" boy who ever grew up in the valley. And David is sure that his grandmother is the smartest, most wonderful woman in the world. They help one another and learn from one another. David teaches Grandma Beverley how to let the wind rake the leaves they need to make the cow's stall warm and dry. Grandma Beverley helps him nurse a homeless, starving puppy, "Orphan" back to health. David is grateful to her for helping him save Orphan, and he wants to make her the happiest woman in the world. He wants to find a special Christmas present for her. When his ideas for earning money do not work out, he gets an idea for a beautiful and perfect gift he can make for his grandmother from materials that have been right at hand all the time." (From Goodreads)

 

  • A Penny's Worth of Character- By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - F STUA
  • " Shan is dishonest with the storekeeper in his rural Kentucky community, but he feels better about himself after his mother forces him to put things right." (From Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

 

  • The Rightful Owner- By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - J STUA
  • " Mike finds a hounddog in the pasture which is obviously lost. Someone has been mean to the dog, and Mike wants him very much, but the hound won't come near him. Finally, his father helps him bring the dog home. After Mike and Speckles become inseparable, a neighbor claims to be the dog's rightful owner. Two dramatic encounters show that a good hound never forgets his real master. " (From Goodreads)

 

 

  • Red Mule- By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - JF STU
  • " Working to save the mules in their Kentucky community from being butchered at the cannery, twelve-year-old Scrappie and his friend Red Mule see their cause vindicated when tractors get stuck in the river mud and only mules can pull them out" (From Goodreads)

 

 

 

 

  • Old Ben -  By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - JF STU OLD
  • " For Shan, it began as an ordinary summer's day. He was doing what he liked best, walking barefoot down a wellworn cow path to a clover field where he knew a sweet apple tree grew. Then he met Old Ben, a big bull black snake, sunning himself in the clover, and that summer day and all the days that followed, until early fall, became extraordinary. "The only good snake is a dead snake." That's what Shan's father had always said. But Old Ben with his gentle, friendly ways changed that saying and brought a new understanding about snakes to every member of Shan's family." (From Goodreads)

 

 

  • Andy Finds a Way By Jesse Stuart
  • Call number - JF STU
  • " A Kentucky farm boy tries to save his pet heifer from being sold for veal." (From Goodreads)

 

E-books

E-Books are a great way to read materials and never have to leave home!  There are many free books available for you to read on your computer, on your cell phone, on your tablet, or on your reading device.  Any of these tools will allow you to download and then read these titles.  You do not have to have internet to read the books once you have downloaded them.  All of the books below are available from Project Gutenberg.  Its books are free and you can even read them online. 

  • Click on the book cover to read the book online. 
  • Click on the title of the book to find downloading options.

You can also look through Project Gutenberg yourself and find other books on Appalachia that may also be interesting to you!  Also try searching for individual states in the Appalachian region to find more titles. If you find one you like better than any that are down below, be sure and email us about it at library@kcu.edu!

 

A Kentucky Cardinal By James Lane Allen

"A Kentucky Cardinal, set in 1850, features a romance between a naturalist and a society girl." (From Barnes & Noble)

 

 

 

 

 

The Adventures of Daniel Boone: The Kentucky Rifleman By Francis L Hawks

"Col. Daniel Boone/Boon (1734-1820) was an American pioneer and hunter whose frontier exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. Boone is most famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now the U. S. state of Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of the Thirteen Colonies. Despite resistance from American Indians, for whom Kentucky was a traditional hunting ground, in 1778 Boone blazed the Wilderness Road through the Cumberland Gap and into Kentucky. There he founded Boonesborough, one of the first English-speaking settlements beyond the Appalachian Mountains. Boone was a Militia officer during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1783). He was elected to the first of his three terms in the Virginia General Assembly during the war, and fought in the Battle of Blue Licks in 1782. Boone worked as a surveyor and merchant after the war, but he went deep into debt as a Kentucky land speculator. Frustrated with legal problems resulting from his land claims, in 1799 Boone resettled in Missouri, where he spent his final years" (From Goodreads)

 

The Young Trailers : A Story of Early KentuckyBy Joseph Altsheler

"Young Henry Ware helps to establish a pioneer settlement in early Kentucky, joins in defending it against the attack of hostile Shawnee Indians, and spends some time among the Shawnee as a somewhat willing prisoner. This story of early Kentucky lent its name to Altsheler's The Young Trailers series." (From Goodreads)

 

 

 

Aunt Jane of KentuckyBy Eliza Calver Hall

"This collection of short stories about the fictional quiltmaker Aunt Jane Parish was originally published in 1907 by Caroline Obenchain (who published under the name of Eliza Calvert Hall). Known for her gentle folk wisdom, Aunt Jane vividly describes a picturesque way of life in the rural South of the nineteenth century." (From Goodreads)

 

A Maid of the Kentucky Hills By Edwin Carlisle Litsey

"Edwin Carlile Litsey's 'A Maid of the Kentucky Hills' is a gripping novel set in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, focusing on the story of a young woman's struggles and triumphs within the rugged landscape. The book's vivid descriptions and engaging narrative style transport the reader to a bygone era, exploring themes of love, loyalty, and resilience." (From Amazon)