The Kathleen McKenzie novels are an original series by author Tracy Leininger Craven. Tracy is known for capturing the stories of real-life Christian heroines from America’s past in historical fiction books.

Kathleen McKenzie is not a girl who runs away from challenges—she runs straight into them. This enthusiastic and determined eleven-year-old girl, growing up at the dawn of the 1930s, enjoys challenges and strives for excellence and high achievement. Her greatest goal in life is faithfulness to God in all she does.

The Kathleen stories are most enjoyed when they are read in order.

Kathleen’s Shaken Dreams (Book 1)
In this book you will meet a spunky, gifted, eleven-year-old girl who enjoys competition and strives for excellence. Set in tumultuous 1929, Kathleen’s opportunities for achievement are many until “Black Tuesday” and the stock market crash force her prosperous family to make a desperate decision. Will Kathleen’s faith be shaken or will she trust God no matter what her circumstances?

Kathleen’s Unforgettable Winter (Book 2)
It should be a happy New Year for Kathleen McKenzie, but 1930 is off to a tumultuous start since her family was forced to move in with relatives on a primitive farm in Ohio due to the stock market crash of 1929.  Now separated from her ailing best friend and unsure if she will be able to compete in the nation-wide spelling bee, twelve-year-old Kathleen McKenzie begins to wonder if her life will ever be the same again. As she slowly tries to adapt to life on the farm, a long, cold winter settles in around her, making Kathleen feel trapped on an endless sea of frozen farmland. 

Kathleen’s Abiding Hope (Book 3)
Kathleen McKenzie’s displaced life with relatives on a farm in Ohio took a lot of getting used to. But nothing could prepare her for the long, dry summer. Like the withering crops, Kathleen’s faith, too, is beginning to wane as she wonders if she’ll ever get back to her own home in Indiana where her friends and her life await her. When a vicious dry spell threatens the farm’s livelihood, Kathleen is more determined than ever to help her relatives survive the dismal conditions. But Kathleen stumbles upon a peril even more frightening than the drought—a faceless danger that threatens the lives of the small, rural community.

Kathleen’s Enduring Faith (Book 4)
This book continues the story of an enthusiastic and determined twelve-year-old girl growing up at the dawn of the 1930s. Winter has melted into a scorching summer and Kathleen finds herself fighting to help save the family farm from one of the worse dry spells in Ohio’s history. But when a masked enemy launches a scare tactic on a neighboring farm, innocent lives are threatened and Kathleen finds herself in the middle of a fiery battle. Will her faith dry up or hold firm?