Young Seth Doan’s family is one of three who have established a frontier settlement at the mouth of a river near Lake Erie. When malaria hits their small community in 1798, Seth is the only one not stricken. Despite the fact that his father has often babied him, Seth realizes that he and he alone must take corn to the mill so that there is food for everyone to eat. James Cross Giblin’s compelling story is drawn from the history of his hometown of Cleveland. Giblin’s narrative places readers right in the forest with Seth as he makes the long journey to and from the mill every day for more than a week. The heavy sacks he carries, the loneliness of the dark forest path, the aching work to grind the corn all have Seth thinking longingly of the days when he had even a little time to read. A dramatic encounter with a bear becomes just one more in a string of dire circumstances that challenge Seth’s strength and ingenuity in a short historical novel featuring occasional black-and-white illustrations. (Ages 8–10)