Well, kat, I'm the odd one out here, it seems. I loved the content, which tempted me into wanting the book. But the style isn't your usual flowing one; I felt it was often stumbling, halting. Maybe betraying your discomfort with blowing your own horn? I thought the best way to explain what I mean would be to show you what is--to me at least--a smoother flow. Let me say here that I'm not expecting an all-easy read in the novel, just that the sales pitch should be, yet without dumbing-down. Part of me wants to apologize in advance in case I'm being too presumptuous--but then you did ask on a public forum...so here goes:

"In her own conjured realms Kally is the fastest, smartest, prettiest and most courageous of all. In the real world of growing up in 1950s and 1960s Wyoming and Colorado, she feels none of those things. Kally is by far the youngest of five siblings, often spending time alone with Tramp and Vix, her dog and horse. Her family are close-knit and supportive; they share a love of reading, making music, storytelling, and camping, and yet Kally doesn't quite fit in. As the only one with red hair and green eyes she often wonders if she is adopted, or even a changeling.

"With her vivid imagination, Kally creates worlds in which being different makes her stand out in a good way, usually as a strong heroine battling the odds. In her fantasy worlds neither taunts nor cruel stares can sting her heart or make her wish she would melt into the walls, and no siblings or schoolmates tease her. She triumphs over every strife and evil.

"In Prairie Child - A Novel Memoir, LaFrance blends Kally's real world with her play worlds, blending her pretend gypsy dancer, dressed in fanciful clothes, with entertaining her parents; racing her horse to get home before dark mixes with fantasy ne'er-do-wells hiding in shadows along the road. She goes through many experiences which reflect the times and which she turns into imaginative events with her as the main character. She conjures herself into a captured WWII spy in Greece, a freedom fighter from Scotland, a wagon train passenger, a saloon girl in a shoot-out in the desert on her way to work for Gunsmoke's Miss Kitty, and other independent personas.

"As her many journeys unfold, it is love that plays out in the relationships among the various characters, interweaving Kally's fantasies with a realistic portrayal of a child who doesn't quite fit in her world."

$0.02, FWIW. Just because it works for me doesn't mean it'll work for you or the world. My sensibilities aren't always exactly mainstream.

(P.S. In para. 4, the 2nd sentence still makes me stumble, but I haven't found a way to smooth it without a big domino effect on the surrounding text.)