In August 1914, recently orphaned Cooper Harrison arrives in El 
Paso to live with grandparents she's never met. The minute the 
fifteen-year-old steps off the train, everything seems wrong. The heat 
is stifling, her grandfather Luther is cold and appraising and, worse, 
doesn't even mention the recent loss of both parents. Her 
grandmother, Angelica, is remote and childlike and wears only black 
and diamonds.

    When Cooper asked to come live with her grandparents, she 
wanted to help in the family antique business and soon shows her 
aptitude for the field. But, she discovers that Luther not only runs a 
shady concern but also profits from the Mexican Revolution 
smuggling arms across the border.

    Luther leaves for Mexico with a wagonload of bullets hidden in 
sacks of corn and is kidnapped by Pancho Villa's men. Cooper 
realizes she's the only one to carry the ransom to Villa's camp. She 
meets a Hollywood actor and cameraman—in El Paso to film Villa's 
life—and convinces them to join her in the attempt to rescue her 
grandfather. The ensuing adventure takes the reader on a wild ride 
deep into the Mexican countryside.

_________________________________________________________

PAT CARR has taught English at Rice, Tulane, and the University of 
New Orleans. She is the author of five novels, three nonfiction titles, 
and four book-length short story collections. She lives in Elkins, 
Arkansas.


A Chaparral Book for Young Readers