Ever Faithful

Elsie Brookes is a park warden’s daughter who has grown up in Yellowstone National Park. She has ambitions to become a teacher and is saving money for college by working each summer in the park’s hotels. This summer of 1933, though, President Roosevelt’s New Deal is sending unemployed urban men, via the Civilian Conservation Corps, to assist the rangers. These city boys find life in the park unfamiliar but settle in quickly. The influx of so many young men livens up social life for the park employees, too. Elsie meets Nate, gentle and slightly older than the others. Her flirty best friend falls for an unlikely newcomer, a short, scrappy redhead from Brooklyn. Former park ranger Barnett’s third title in the “Vintage National Parks” series (The Road to Paradise; Where the Fire Falls) is a warmhearted read with engaging characters and a sure-to-please setting.