More than anything, fourteen-year-old Littlejim wants to attend the academy so he can study to be a teacher, like Aunt Zony. But Mama gets sick and there's work to be done on the farm. And the timber company's coming to take away the only life his family knows. Will Littlejim be able to make his dreams come true? This is a touching story of a boy's coming-of-age in 1920 Appalachia. "It's a heartwarming story of family ties and friendships, set in an earlier eraand another culture. Fans of the previous books will not be disappointed."--Kirkus Reviews