PARENTING ARTICLES & TIPS

In a frightening incident, Elsies husband, Edward Travilla, narrowly survives an accidental
shooting when friends tease son Edward, Jr. into firing a loaded pistol. The shot grazes Edwards head,
and he survives with only minor damage. Soon life in the Travilla household returns to its calm routine.
In the meantime, Elsie welcomes a cousin from Scotland who brings a very special talent with him as
well as news of her mothers ancestral family.

Elsie and Edward take great delight in their burgeoning family. The aftermath of the Civil War provides them
with many opportunities to uphold their heritage and faith in practical ways, but they are caught up in a
campaign against a powerful adversarythe Ku Klux Klanas they fight to protect the innocent from unjust
persecution.

Martha Finley (1828-1909) was born in Chillicothe, Ohio. She lived a quiet life and began writing, it is believed, during the Civil War when she was bedridden with a back ailment. She wrote twenty-eight books in the Elsie Dinsmore series over a period of thirty-eight years. In addition, she wrote more than fifty other short works and pamphlets, primarily for children, but it was the Elsie Dinsmore series whose popularity persevered over the years.

Marguerite Gavin grew up on the Chesapeake Bay. She holds an M.F.A. in acting and a B.F.A. in theater. An actress working in theater and audiobook narration, she is also artistic director of a youth theater program. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband and son.