Lightning Tree

Fifteen-year-old Magdalena "Maggie" Chabert lost her parents, brother, and baby sister crossing the plains, and now lives with the Aldens in pioneer Provo. When she finds her dead mother's name stitched on a mattress, she begins pulling at threads that reveal painful family secrets—and confronts recurring nightmares tied to a violence rippling through the territory. A tender coming-of-age story of grief, forgiveness, friendship, and belonging set against real historical events, Lightning Tree explores what it means to find family in the wake of unbearable loss.

• A gripping, honest look at the Mountain Meadows Massacre era through the eyes of a teenage girl—rare in LDS fiction.
• Perfect for readers who love pioneer stories but want real emotional depth and a mystery at the heart.
• A heroine who isn't the typical prim pioneer girl: tanned, sassy, fishing with the boys, and carrying a devastating secret.
• A tender clean romance and a moving story of self-forgiveness wrapped in richly researched Utah Valley history.

“It's a sight easier to forgive someone else than it is to forgive yourself.”

Perfect for a teen or adult reader who loves clean, emotionally rich pioneer-era historical fiction and isn't afraid of a story that engages honestly with the difficult chapters of LDS history.