Together is All We Need 
Shenandoah Sisters series 
By Michael Phillips

    It's not right for slaves and whites to associate, let alone call themselves a family. Such is the rhetoric that abounds in the days following the Civil War, when two girls, one white and one black, find themselves in a struggle to survive. Their families were killed by marauders, leaving them to fend for themselves. Katie Claiborne and Mayme Jukes have, for two years, hidden the fact that they have no adult supervision. They have brought in a cotton crop, made the plantation pay its way, and kept a roof over five heads, all the while pretending Katie's parents were alive.

     But all that changes when Katie's ruthless Uncle, Burchard Claiborne, shows up, claiming he is the rightful heir to the land, and if it becomes his, it will tear the little family apart, leaving everyone but Katie homeless.

     In a warm and convincing tale, Michael Phillips brings to vivid life the story of two memorable girls who have become like sisters and who, in Christian love, have chosen to put the needs of others before themselves. This one will steal your heart away.