Welcome to Part II of Journeys through Georgia, a series on children’s fiction set in Georgia. Part I was included in the February 13 newsletter and featured two books that are set during the Civil War (Turn Homeward, Hannalee) and afterward (Long Lonesome Train Whistle). You can also find that part here, on the blog.

This month, the spotlight is on another time period, the Great Depression, and a notable author, Robert J. Burch. He grew up during the Depression in Fayette County, GA, and later wrote quite a few books set during that period in various parts of Georgia. In 2009, he was inducted into the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame. One of his novels is featured below, but two more are available at Cornerstone Living Library: Queenie Peavy and Doodle and the Go-Cart.

Ida Early Comes over the Mountain, by Robert Burch, c.1980
Where: Blue Ridge mountains of Georgia, near Gainesville
When: Sometime in the late 1930s (the Great Depression)

The quirky Ida Early, a female jack-of-all-trades, appears out of nowhere on 10-year-old Randall’s doorstep, looking for work. She is hired on to help run this motherless household but brings more to the table than just housekeeping and farm help. Tall tales, games of Tiddlywinks, and a playful spirit flow freely from Ida Early and bring new life and laughter to Randall and his family, until a breach of trust threatens to drive Ida away. Ida Early Comes over the Mountain is a lively, funny story focusing more on relationships than specific locations or historical events, but it does give a taste of everyday life in the northeast Georgia mountains during the Depression. One historical place that is briefly mentioned is Candler Field, the airfield in Atlanta that has since become Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. A series of articles here chronicles its growth, including photos showing how the airfield looked in Ida Early’s time. There is field trip potential here as well: The Delta Flight Museum sits in the part of Hartsfield-Jackson that was Candler Field.

Do you have any Georgia historical fiction to recommend? The library would love to hear from you. And stay tuned for Journeys through Georgia, Part III, in which the spotlight will shine on a place instead of a time: a mysterious swamp…

Guest post by Sara Luchuk, March 2026