Much Ado About Grubstake by Jean Ferris (265 pages)
Down-on-their-luck miners have not found anything in Grubstake for years. Most of the townspeople have moved away, especially since the train only comes to town once a month. Sixteen-year-old Arley runs a boarding house full of miners, but she has no money either. When a well-dressed business man arrives in town and begins to offer all the miners a hefty price for their mines, Arley grows suspicious. Why would anyone pay good money for mines that have produced nothing? Soon she uncovers the truth: there is a rare mineral in the mine that is worth enough money to make them all millionaires! Arley does what she can to stop the miners from selling to the smarmy businessman, but most don’t listen. Will she be able to save her town before it becomes a ghost town?
Miss Simer’s Rating: **1/2
