Debra Anne Wintsmith

Fireflies Debra Anne Wintsmith

An endangered swamp. A one-room school. Six little girls, five of whom are eager to embrace change and grow up and away. But one of them resists change. Rhoda Bell has always seemed magical with her ability to pull the other girls into her make-believe world. Five girls vie for the position of her most-loved friend, but only golden-haired Cassie shares Rhoda's ability to slip fully into the world of imagination. Then as their bodies begin to transform into young women, Cassie breaks out of their enchanted world. Rhoda turns to the swamp for comfort, but even the swamp is changing and going away. Fireflies is a lyrical celebration of the Carolina wetlands and the magic and heartbreak of childhood's end.