Move away? Sell the farm? Where would we go? Life as she knows it is about to end for quiet and shy eleven-year-old Ginny. First her beloved grandmother dies, then she learns her family will be moving from the farm where she's always lived to the Weaver Creek cotton mill in search of a better life and a regular paycheck. The move means leaving behind her friends-including her best friend and cousin Annie-as well as her school, her town, and everything she knows. Ginny fears what may lie ahead but ultimately learns that change can mean new opportunities and that new friendships can lead to broader perspectives. Set in Central North Carolina at the turn of the nineteenth century, Finding Your Place teaches young adolescents how facing life's challenges builds confidence, enabling us to find our place wherever life may lead. "Tough, loveable, and resilient, eleven-year-old Ginny struggles but finally shines in this absorbing story of a family's move to a cotton mill town where the world of an entire 1894 mill village comes brilliantly to life. One of the most endearing heroines I have ever encountered . A superb historical novel for readers of ANY age!"-Lee Smith, author of twenty-two books, including the New York Times best-selling novel, The Last Girls "From the electrifying opening sentence of Finding Your Place , Jan Irwin's deft prose transports us to another time in this novel about loss and gain and the importance of place and friendship. I cheered for Ginny as I came to see her courage, curiosity, and determination. This marvelous book was a page-turner for me! "-Anna Jean Mayhew, author of Tomorrow's Bread "The evocative world of Ginny's mill village will capture the imaginations of children as well as adults. And young Ginny-as she struggles with change, friendships, and family-will capture readers' hearts. Get ready for an unforgettable read! "-John Claude Bemis, author of Rodeo Hawkins and the Daughters of Mayhem Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Jan Irwin has lived in twelve cities, ten states, and one foreign country as far flung as Alaska, Florida, California, Washington D.C., and Quito, Ecuador. Being a military wife, she has learned a lot about moving around. Finally settled in the lovely small town of Hillsborough, North Carolina, Jan enjoys traveling, reading, writing, gardening, genealogy, and visiting with family and friends at home and around the country. During her professional career, she was a corporate communications executive, running her own consulting business for more than twenty years. The challenge of moving away from the known to the unknown is a timeless story; and in writing Finding Your Place, Jan combines some of the fascinating history of her new home in North Carolina with her experiences as a mother whose children, like her novel's protagonist Ginny, were asked to both adapt and benefit from major life change.