2010 Book of the Year Awards, Juvenile Fiction, Finalist
2010 International Book Awards: Winner, Young Adult Fiction
2010 Eric Hoffer Award Winner: Honorable Mention, YA Fiction
Kentucky Book Festival Finalist ~ Eric Hoffer Award Finalist
Mom's Choice Awards Young Adult Fiction: GOLD
National "Best Books 2010" Awards: Young Adult Fiction, Finalist
Jaxon MacKenzie, a mute, yet secretly literate, 12-year-old girl, discovers a faded newspaper article documenting the greatest train wreck in American history—an event that claimed the life of her grandfather’s best friend, Oliver Pack. That night Jaxon is whisked through an old painting in her grandparents’ parlor, back to July 1918 in an attempt to prevent the accident. Miraculously, she finds herself able to speak for the first time.
Jaxon meets three friends: Sara Hale, Dewey MacKenzie, and Oliver. Soon Jaxon realizes her mission in this world of horse-drawn carts and prejudice is to save Oliver from dying aboard one of the ill-fated passenger cars, filled with young black men on their way to Nashville to work making gun powder for the war effort. With the government’s takeover of the railways during World War I, and a calamity of human error, the train cannot be stopped from its fate, and the responsibility of saving Oliver Pack is planted firmly on the shoulders of this remarkable young lady.
Educators: Follow this link for a free curriculum guide (80+ pages) and great for classroom use in building acceptance of students with Asperger's Syndrome, Autism, or communication disorders. Also helpful in efforts to reduce bullying of special needs students.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mary Calhoun Brown tells stories about things that matter, weaving colorful and sensitive characters into history for a generation that prefers to be entertained rather than educated.
Brown has spent most of her professional career writing and editing non-fiction. She wrote extensively for the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce before moving on to help create the Partnership for Financial Education.
Brown is an advocate for children and adults with autism. She also partners with educators to create curriculum guides for her novels so teachers and home-school parents can meet state requirements while making the most of classroom and planning time.
Mary Calhoun Brown lives in beautiful Huntington, West Virginia, with her husband Cam and three sons, William, Harrison and Dewey.
You may have seen Mary in various places on the web, on TV, in magazines, at autism events, and in bookstores. Left to right: Mary's book was profiled in Autism Spectrum Quarterly. Mary appeared with Jamie Oliver in Huntington, WV. Fred Willard and Mary at a booksigning. Mary and her son William were profiled in various CNN websites including Anderson Cooper's blog.
