Little Fox's Secret

Little Fox's Secret

Bent's Fort shall be destroyed! This I have seen. With these words, the Cheyenne elder Gray Owl predicts the end of the mighty trading post on the Arkansas River. Eleven-year-old Little Fox learns that Gray Owl's vision includes him. He must destroy Bent's Fort! Alone and unarmed, Little Fox is left outside the towering adobe walls to face an impossible mission. This first chapter book for young readers is both a thrilling adventure tale and a well-researched interpretation of the end of Bent's Fort in 1849. Mary Peace Finley's earlier novel, Soaring Eagle, was nominated for the 1998 Colorado Blue Spruce Award. Her writings include two nonfiction children's books, to fiction children's books, magazine articles, and television scripts for Marty Stouffer's Wild America. --From the Publisher Finley makes the fort come alive through her word images. You'll see the dust, smell the buffalo robes, hear the sounds of the blacksmith. Kids won't even know they're getting a history lesson. — Colo. Springs Gazette, March 7, 1999 This book, geared to young readers, tells the story of the fort, now known as Bent's Old Fort. The events of the time are seen through the eyes of 11-year-old Little Fox, a Cheyenne who plays a part in the destruction of the fort. That demise of the Bent's Old Fort has remained a mystery since August of 1849. This story offers one plausible explanation. Author Mary Peace Finley fills out the actual history of the fort at the end making this book a fun way to learn Colorado history. --Colorado Country Life Magazine Nov. 1999 Mary Peace Finley's earlier novel, Soaring Eagle, was nominated for the 1998 Colorado Blue Spruce Award. Her writings include two nonfiction children's books, to fiction children's books, magazine articles, and television scripts for Marty Stouffer's Wild America. Mary Peace Finley grew up near the site of Bent's Fort and the old Santa Fe Trail. A graduate of the University of Denver, she has taught English as a second language in Latin America and in the United States. Her many published works for young readers includes the award-winning Santa Fe Trail Trilogy novels: Soaring Eagle , White Grizzly , and Meadowlark . Mrs. Finley lives in Boulder, Colorado.