THE RUNAWAY FRIEND
A KIRSTEN MYSTERY

American Girl Publishing

"[Includes] interesting historical notes describing what life was like for these early immigrants."
— School Library Journal

"The plight of lonely women on the frontier is a key theme, as is the sad truth that pioneer living was not for everyone."
— Mystery Scene Magazine

The Runaway Friend is Kathleen's seventh mystery for American Girl, and the fourteenth of her twenty-five published books. It is written for readers age 9 and up who enjoy American pioneer era historical fiction.

Story Description

Kirsten Larson has been living on the Minnesota frontier for only a few weeks when her neighbor and friend, Erik Sandahl, disappears.

Erik had promised to help the Larsons at harvest time--and he owes Uncle Olav money. Has Erik run out on his promises? Everyone seems to think so—except Kirsten.

Can she figure out what's happened to her friend?

This story takes place in 1854. It includes a glossary of Swedish words and an illustrated “Looking Back” essay.

The Runaway Friend is available as a 192-page book in softcover and hardcover (library binding) formats.

What Others Are Saying

School Library Journal Review by Donna Atmur, Los Angeles Public Library "This installment in the popular series follows the adventures of a young Swede adjusting to life on the Minnesota frontier in the mid 1800s. When her neighbor Erik, who had promised to help her family with the harvest, mysteriously vanishes, leaving an unpaid loan behind, Kirsten is determined to find out what happened to him. Despite her family's opinion that he merely ran away from his responsibilities, she feels that he may have had different motives. Against her parents' wishes, she investigates and discovers several clues that lead to the truth of Erik's disappearance. Throughout the story, the author weaves in information about the dangers of frontier life, and the narrative concludes with interesting historical notes describing what life was like for these early immigrants."

About the Author

Bestselling author Kathleen Ernst writes award-winning mysteries and historical fiction for adults and young readers. Her work has earned numerous honors, including multiple Edgar and Agatha mystery award nominations, and an Emmy for children's educational programming.

To date, readers have purchased well over 750,000 audio, electronic, and printed copies of Kathleen's twenty-five books.  more>>

Related Blog Entries

Enjoy the author's insights about the story, characters, and settings.

The Stories Behind The Story
	After I started writing for American Girl, I always hoped that my editor would invite me to write a Kirsten book. The story of European immigrants moving to the Upper Midwest is very close to my heart...  more>>
What Would You Bring?
	What did immigrant children bring to American in the 1800s? Last week I gave a History Mystery tour at Old World Wisconsin, the historic site featured in my Chloe Ellefson mysteries for adults, and.... more >>
Leaving Home
	I’m in Decorah, Iowa this week, doing research at Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. Vesterheim features a spectacular collection of artifacts. I’ve blogged before about their alebowls, and.... more >>