Fifty years before the California Gold Rush, twelve-year-old Conrad Reed unearthed a shiny rock from a creek in North Carolina. Conrad had struck gold—but he had no idea. For three years, the Reed family unknowingly used a hunk of solid gold worth thousands of dollars as a doorstop. When news finally got out about Conrad’s discovery, the lives of the Reeds—and the history of the South—was changed forever. Their ordinary farm was transformed into a family-run business that launched a thriving economical shift for the state, attracting miners and investors from all over. Follow the explosive journey of this Southern state as it became the site of America’s first gold rush.
About the Author
Author and historian Tricia Martineau Wagner is an elementary-school teacher, reading specialist, and independent researcher. Wagner delivers hands-on, living-history presentations for schools around the country.
About the Illustrator
Illustrator Candace Camling teaches children’s classes at Des Moines Art Center. After graduating from Kendall College of Art and Design, she went on to design plush toy designs and logos for Manley Toy Network.
NORTH CAROLINA, THE FIRST GOLDEN STATE
Written by TRICIA MARTINEAU WAGNER
Illustrated by CANDACE CAMLING
32 pp. 8.5 x 11
31 illus. Glossary
JUVENILE NONFICTION / People & Places / United States / General
JUVENILE NONFICTION / History / United States / State & Local
Age & grade: 5-8 & K-3
Reading ease: 71.3 Flesch-Kincaid grade level: 5.4
ISBN: 9781455622733