Helen and Arthur; or, Miss Thusa's Spinning Wheel

"Helen and Arthur; or, Miss Thusa's Spinning Wheel" by Caroline Lee Hentz is a story set in the 1800s about a young imaginative girl named Helen who lives with Miss Thusa, a unique woman who loves to spin and tell stories. Helen's imagination is wild, and she feels things deeply, which is shown as she listens to Miss Thusa's scary stories; she's both scared and delighted! The book looks at childhood, the idea of ghosts and the spirit world, and how different life and death can be, all while showing what life was like in the South at that time. At the start of the novel, Helen and Miss Thusa spend a stormy night together, where Miss Thusa tells exciting tales by the fire. As more time passes in the story, Helen's mom gets sick, making the story sad as we watch Helen deal with difficult emotions at such a young age. This shows the reader that it will be a combination of fun and spooky stories, while also being a deep exploration of the hard parts of growing up.