Julia Iannacito gazes at her fifth-grade McGuffery Reader and wishes school weren't so boring. If only something special, something out of the ordinary, would happen! Her wish comes true, but in a way she never imagined. The labor troubles in nearby Ludlow spill over into the coal mine where her father works. Julia is suddenly the only one who can avert a disaster and save her father.
Filled with vivid historical details, this fast-paced story tells of Julia's struggles, both as a young immigrant, and as the daughter of a poor coal miner. The story introduces the reader, in an age-appropriate fashion, to the Colorado labor struggles and the immigrant experience.
Out of the Ordinary is set during the 1914 Ludlow massacre. The author's grandmother, Julia, lived in a boxcar and attended a one-room school in Phippsburg, Colorado. The main characcter in this book and the events portrayed are based on accounts the author's grandmother told the author.