About Gone From These Woods

 

Gone From These Woods

by Donny Bailey Seagraves

 

Gone From These Woods by Donny Bailey Seagraves

On the day Daniel Sartain will remember for the rest of his life, the chilly morning air feels damp and smells of fallen leaves. He stands in the woods of rural Georgia before daybreak with his role model, best friend and father figure, Uncle Clay, and dreams of being back home under warm blankets. Hunting in the Sartain family woods has been a tradition since it was a necessity for the first Sartains who came to Georgia over 100 years ago, and Clay insists that Daniel take part in the family custom. But when Daniel’s gun accidentially fires and Uncle Clay goes down, the woods around Daniel fill with deafening silence and he is left to wonder what will become of him now.

Accolades for Gone From These Woods

  • Brodart McNaughton Best of the Best List Pick
  • Accelerated Reader
  • SIBA Book Award Nominee
  • FlamingNet.com Top Choice Award Pick
  • Pizza Hut Featured Book-It Program Book
  • Cybils Award Middle Grade Novel Nominee
  • Author Donny Bailey Seagraves was a Georgia Author of the Year Nominee for Gone From These Woods

Author Donny Bailey Seagraves signing a copy of Gone From These Woods

Author Donny Bailey Seagraves signing a copy of Gone From These Woods at Borders Bookstore in Athens, Georgia.

Gone From These Woods (Delacorte Books for Young Readers) tells a gripping tale of overcoming guilt and learning to let go. In this poignant debut novel, Donny Bailey Seagraves tackles the tough but prevalent topic of gun violence (The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1.69 million children live in homes where firearms have not been put in safe places) and lends her smart voice to this hot-button issue.

The protagonist of Gone From These Woods struggles with the fallout of his mistake and also faces the abuse of an alcoholic father. As Daniel learns to listen to the kind words from his uncle that replay in his mind and accepts help from a school guidance counselor, his story unfolds into a moving and important message for middle graders. In Gone From These Woods, Seagraves, an Athens, Georgia native and long-time resident of the nearby tiny town of Winterville, deftly illustrates the culture and tradition of the American rural South and how one boy must learn how to navigate this world.

Author Donny Bailey Seagraves with a Gone From These Woods cake at the book launch in the historic Winterville, Georgia train depot in 2009.

Author Donny Bailey Seagraves with a Gone From These Woods cake at the book launch in the historic Winterville, Georgia train depot in 2009.

 

Buy a copy of Gone From These Woods on the author's website. 

 Gone From These Woods back cover