Barbara Ladd

At dawn, Barbara Ladd slips from her bedroom with a basket of warm, wriggling “babies”—and leaves a whispered farewell for the room where she has never been happy. But the first cow to spot her nearly gives the whole escape away.

In the quiet countryside of Second Westings, the morning opens in mist and strange, new light. Fourteen-year-old Barbara is bound for her adventurous uncle in Stratford, carrying a bundle and a precious basket, with her mastiff Keep close behind. The strict aunt she is leaving has made home feel like a cage; the road ahead promises freedom, but it is a long way from a safe bed, and Barbara must make her way without being caught—or losing courage. What awaits a girl determined to choose her own path?

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