Emily's Fortune

by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor

Overview

Emily Wiggins is poor and timid, without a drop of self-confidence. When unexpectedly orphaned, she is left all alone except for her turtle, Rufus. What in blinkin' bloomers should Emily do? Emily's neighbors, Mrs. Ready, Mrs. Aim, and Mrs. Fire, have the answer. Emily must travel by stagecoach to honorable Aunt Hilda. What a hootin', tootin' grand idea! But Miss Catchum of the Catchum Child-Catching Services will get a big bonus for making Emily live with her next of kin, vicious Uncle Victor. How in ding dong dickens will Emily escape Miss Catchum? It will take all the gumption and cunning of fellow orphan and traveler, Jackson, to help Emily find her confidence, conniving spirit, and the truth behind why Uncle Victor wants to claim her. But how in flippin' flapjacks will Emily outsmart Uncle Victor?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780375844928
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	11/08/2011
Series:	Emily , #1
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	7.64(w) x 5.28(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

PHYLLIS REYNOLDS NAYLOR says she's never experienced as much excitement as her character, Emily Wiggins.

Read an Excerpt

Painted on the door of the carriage was a sign that read Catchum Child-Catching ServicesTrumpet Junction Branch
Orphans, Strays, and Roustabouts
Rounded Up Quickly Emily jumped behind a mail cart so fast that she bumped into a boy in a faded brown jacket. "Hey!" he said. "Watch where you're going!" And then, "You're an orphan too, aren't you?" "How did you know?" she asked him. He shrugged. "Saw you trying to hide from the Child Catchers, just like I used to do."  

Editorial Reviews

Naylor takes readers on a rollicking ride to the Wild West in this comedy-adventure starring a tiny, extremely shy eight-year-old orphan, Emily, her pet turtle, Rufus, and a wild boy named Jackson who comes to her rescue. When Emily's mother and her wealthy lady employer are killed in a carriage accident, Emily chooses to go to her sweet Aunt Hilda in the West instead of her awful Uncle Victor. On her stagecoach ride west, Jackson, another orphan, helps Emily keep steps ahead of the terrible Child Catchers, but worse danger looms when Emily learns she's inherited a fortune, and greedy Uncle Victor shows up on the stagecoach looking for her. Collins provides lively line drawings that capture the action, while the author provides real suspense and comedy with her population of verging-on-caricature characters. Can Emily escape her Uncle? Can she stay with Rufus? At the end of each chapter, direct-address questions in huge type and alliterative archaic phrases launch readers into the next chapter. Emily comes across as a fully developed and appealing character. Great fun. (Historical fiction. 7-10)

Kirkus Reviews