Esmaria

Set against the challenges of the 1970s, Esmaria: Her Peppermint Prince is an unforgettable coming-of-age story about resilience and the courage to stand up for others.

Eleven-year-old Esmaria Paulk has barely settled into her new city when, at a celebration held in a church member's home, she meets Lamont Jackson, the boy she kisses in a dream. Esmaria is afraid to tell her mother. A simple act of sharing a single piece of peppermint candy forges an indelible friendship.

Handsome Lamont Jackson's charming smile hides a world of hardship. They agree to sit together in church. When Lamont does not arrive, Esmaria sets out to discover his whereabouts.

Determined to solve his broken family's problems without help, Lamont runs away. He unwittingly becomes involved in matters that place him in deadly danger. Esmaria is determined to find him and rescue him from the icy winter streets of Kansas City.

Lamont accepts help from Esmaria, the girl he loves, who begins a journey meant for someone far beyond her years. Armed with courage, faith, and unwavering determination, she rallies her family, pastor, a school principal, and others to help her in a desperate search to bring Lamont home.

Loyalty, faith, hope, and charity are her strengths. One person can refuse to stop believing in another.