 Belle in the Slouch Hat
Mimi Mathis
ISBN: 978-0-9824295-1-9
224 pages
$19.95
Paperback
When fifteen-year-old Belle Brayden started wearing her brother’s slouch hat her life changed! She began having more adventures, misadventures, and tragedies. Some are brought on by her impulsiveness, others by nature, but most are from the cruelties of war.
The year is 1862 and the United States of America is at war with itself, the Civil War. The war affected many people, and Belle and her family were no exception. Her eighteen-year-old brother, Bud, a member of a group of tough Confederate Guerrillas, was shot in the back and killed—he was more than a brother to Belle; he was her friend and her hero.
In her quest to find the one who killed her brother, Belle joins forces with a spiritual mentor, a horse with magical powers, and her “best-friend-cousin,” sixteen-year-old Winnie. When Winnie was seven years old she lost her eyesight, but she has an amazing ability to “see with her heart.” Her compassion and humor is a positive influence in Belle’s life.
The exciting adventures and engaging personalities of Belle and Winnie make this work of fiction soar above its serious time and keep the reader entertained. The spiritual messages found throughout the story gives this book a special touch.
Mimi Mathis is a retired registered nurse and lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with her husband, Jack. They have three sons. She writes about her story.
Not long ago, I saw an old slouch hat decorated with feathers in a historical display at a tourist center. After seeing the hat, words kept flitting through my mind to write a story about a slouch hat. For me to think about writing a story wasn’t an unusual thought, because I love writing stories for my grandchildren, but I soon forgot the thought and the hat.
A few weeks later I went back to the same tourist center, and this time when I saw the hat, I had an overwhelming urge to write a book about a high-spirited girl and a slouch hat—thus began the story of Belle in the Slouch Hat.
This is a book with a strong spiritual theme, but ultimately I wrote it as an action-packed adventure novel for the young-adult reader, girl and boy, and the young at heart of all ages.
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