Will Emilie ever see her brother again?
"Nordamerika?" Twelve-year-old Emilie Borner jumped at her brother's shout. Karl leaped from his chair and towered over Pap. "You want to emigrate—auswandern? Well, I'm staying here!"
The lure of "America letters" from New World settlers has reached the provinces of central Germany. August 1855 finds the Borners, a middle-class farm family struggling with crop failure, making plans to heed God's call leading them westward.
Emilie is torn. America is just a dream to her, and she loves the rugged beauty of her native land. Besides, her best friend, Louise, must stay, while snoopy, snooty Rosamund Albrecht comes along!
The Borners' journey from Germany to Wisconsin is filled with hardship and surprises. Hated by a fellow traveler, accused of theft aboard ship, and worried over the sadness of a little girl, Emilie finds that only faith and the help of new friends can carry her through. In the New World, the challenges only grow. Can the Borners meet their needs for shelter, clothing, and food for the winter? Can the heartbreaking split in their family be healed? And when Emilie and her younger brother are stranded in a blizzard, can they even survive?
In The Journey of Emilie, Emilie Borner finds that God hears and answers our prayers—sometimes in unexpected ways. |