Nancy Nylen: Ordinary Farm Girl, Explorer Extraordinaire

Lynn Manuel writes mystery novels for young adults and is the author of
Return to Cranberry Farm.

As punishment for forging a note for a friend, Nancy Nylen must spend an
hour after school every day for three weeks writing. She divides the
time between writing about her “ordinary” life on the farm and her
“extraordinary” life as an explorer in the Amazon jungle. Interlaced
with her writing journals is the unfolding of Project Marmalade, a plan
to keep her favorite teacher, the lovesick Mr. Miller, from leaving.

Using this dual-journal technique, Frank O’Keeffe manages to convey
that Nancy’s seemingly monotonous and narrow life is anything but
ordinary. While the world of her imagination is filled with thrilling
exploits as she faces fierce, warlike tribes, snapping crocodiles, and
deadly piranhas, she also faces everyday trials on the farm—from
dragging a dead calf away from its mother to saving some beavers—with
inner fortitude.

The author writes with the insight of the true humorist and creates a
thoroughly enjoyable novel for the middle reader. Recommended.