Kitten on the Keys - Paperback

by Caryll Egerer Moore (Author)

At the turn of the twentieth century, in a small town near Los Angeles, a quaint and loving family lives in a converted train depot. They have no electricity and no running water, but they have each other and work hard for the things that matter in life.

Rosie, or "Kitten," is a thirteen-year-old tomboy, who loves to run and even more so loves to race the trains that rumble past on the tracks next to their home. Mama wishes Rosie would learn to cook and sew, rather than spend all of her time outside running. But Papa and her older brother Pete encourage her to beat her fastest times, and they spend evenings whispering about victories.

A big race arrives, and Gloria, the girl who used to be the school's fastest, is determined to win at any cost. The event ends in a terrible accident for Rosie that leaves her unsure whether she'll ever run again. While recuperating, Rosie learns to play the piano, and finds she has some big decisions to make regarding life, family, friendship, and forgiveness. Kitten on the Keys offers readers a glimpse into a past era through a young girl's struggle to please her mother and at the same time follow her dreams.

Author Biography

Caryll Egerer Moore earned a bachelor of arts degree from Cal State Fullerton and then taught elementary school until devoting herself full time to raising a family. As a child, she was fascinated by her mother's stories of childhood during the turn of the twentieth century and has always wanted to write about that era, which was so vastly different from the period when she and her own children grew up.

Moore lives with her husband of fifty-four years in Fullerton, California, where she likes to read, garden, write, work crossword puzzles, quilt, knit, and play golf. They raised four children and have 11 grandchildren and one great grandchild.