The Windy Hill

A newly illustrated edition with reader's notes for tricky words. Complete and unabridged.

Could a cloud of bees derail a runaway? Oliver Peyton is heading for the station, determined to leave his troubles—and his sister—behind.

Oliver Peyton pauses beside a white beehive, where bees veil the honeycombs like a living curtain. On a summer hill, a beekeeper and his daughter welcome the dusty boy with biscuits, honey, and a tale that carries him far beyond the valley. Nashola longs to explore the sea, but his people have been taught to fear its mysteries. When a wise medicine man’s warnings meet a boy’s questions—and strange ships appear on the horizon—Nashola must decide what to believe. Will he find the courage to sail toward the unknown?

This complete and unabridged edition includes reader’s notes for tricky words and features Cornelia Meigs’s story of courage, friendship, and discovery.

At Wise Minds Press we believe the years between childhood and the teenage leap are a golden window: curiosity runs high, vocabulary explodes and a single page can spark a lifetime of possibility. We were those wide‑eyed readers once—hungry for challenge, eager to roam far‑flung worlds, and guided by parents and teachers who knew the right story could light the path ahead. Today we honor that legacy by bringing time‑tested classics to young readers complete and unabridged, with reader's notes for the tricky words, and original illustrations for Grades 4‑7 (Ages 9‑12).

Our mission is simple: to place in every young reader's hands a bridge to literature's greatest adventures, turning boundless imagination into confidence, empathy, and the readiness to write their own remarkable futures.