Emily's fortune

From Newbery Award winner Phyllis Reynolds Naylor comes a witty tale of the Wild West filled with comical cliffhangers and featuring a cast of plucky orphans and dastardly villains.
 
Emily Wiggins is poor and timid, without a drop of self-confidence. When she is 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 the home of her honorable aunt Hilda.
 
What a rootin' tootin' grand idea!
 
But Miss Catchum of the Catchum Child-Catching Services will get a big bonus for delivering Emily to her next of kin, the vicious Uncle Victor.
 
How the 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, her conniving spirit, and the true reason Uncle Victor wants to claim her.
 
But how in flippin' flapjacks will Emily outsmart Uncle Victor?
 

Painted on the door of the carriage was a sign that read   Catchum Child-Catching Services Trumpet 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."   Excerpted from Emily's Fortune by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.