Maude must fend for herself after her mother dies and her father's "gold fever" inspires him to take off for the Yukon. Desperate to leave the frontier town and become an artist, she takes a job in a boardinghouse. But young women on their own in the 1890s are not only frowned upon but looked at with scorn and suspicion. To Maude, whose strong will tends to get her in trouble, her new life seems downright unbearable. Luckily, the few special friendships she forms help her achieve her dream. AGES: 12+ AUTHOR: Joann Mazzio also wrote the teen novel 'The One Who Came Back'.