"Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens

Kya Clark is a six-year-old girl who is abandoned by her family and left alone in the marsh to fend for herself.  The people of  Barkley Cove, on the North Carolia coast, only know her as the “marsh girl”.  When a high school student is found dead, the people of the town immediately suspect Kya.  Although this story is a mystery, the author takes you through Kya's life and how she adapts to her surroundings and gets her education from nature.  Kya is much more than a mysterious marsh girl who is ridiculed, judged and bullied by the townspeople.  She is intelligent, kind and resilient.  This book is beautifully written, with vivid descriptions of the marsh. 

I absolutely loved this book and had a hard time putting it down.  It was a fabulous read, heartbreaking in many ways, with wonderful writing and fully developed characters. I give this book 5 stars!  You can check it out from the library, or from the library's e-books site.