Elsie Mae Has Something to Say by Nancy J. Cavanaugh (review)

Eleven-year-old Elsie Mae knows being the only kid at her grandparents' house is much more fun than being the youngest of seven at home—even if it means spending her summers in the swamp. More than perilous wetlands filled with gators and a nasty pair of hog-bandits, the Okefenokee Swamp is home to folks whose livelihoods depend on the swampers' way of life. When word spreads that a ship company plans to build a canal through the swamp, Elsie Mae determines to fix everything: catch the pig thieves, save the swamp by writing a letter to the President of the United States, and ultimately become a hero. Our spunky protagonist takes the reader on countless high-energy adventures through the marsh and eventually learns that there are more important matters than heroism. Set in 1933, this piece of historical fiction gives a perspective of life on the Okefenokee, and the author's note provides context for the real-life events like President Roosevelt's Executive Order that lead to its National Wildlife Refuge status.