Author Description

It is 1934, and Mary Elizabeth Barrett is the youngest of four growing up in Benkleman, Kansas. In a town where there are few secrets, it is quite a surprise when her father, George, uses his wife's jelly-making money to buy a secondhand touring car and announces they are moving to California. Despite his wife Ruth's protests, the touring car is packed in a week's time. Whether they like it or not, the family is on their way to a new beginning. Five days later, after the family stops in Minton, Colorado, for lunch, Mary Elizabeth's father hops in the old touring car and tells them he will be right back. While the sun lowers in the sky, Ruth finds a note from George in her pocketbook, telling her that although he has decided to head to California alone, he will be back to get them all eventually. With just over one hundred dollars to their name, Ruth and her four children make a decision: they will stay in Minton. As Mary Elizabeth and her family begin anew, they soon realize that happiness comes in the simplest of moments as they learn to look at challenges as stepping stones and face the harsh reality that George may never return. The Last Apple on the Tree is a story of trials, perseverance, and family togetherness as a mother and her four children find beauty in their own little garden of life.