The Promise of Jesse Woods

Recipient of Christianity Today's 2017 Book Award of Merit, 2017 Christy Award Winner

The summer of 1972 was pivotal in Matt Plumley's childhood. While his beloved Pirates battle for back-to-back World Series titles, Matt's family moves from Pittsburgh to Dogwood, West Virginia. A fish out of water, Matt forges a fast bond with two unlikely friends: Dickie Darrel Lee Hancock, a mixed-race boy, and Jesse Woods, a tough-as-nails girl with a sister on her hip and no dad in sight. As the trio traipses the hills and hollers, Matt begins to fall for Jesse, and their promises to each other draw him deeper into her terrifying reality.

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What Readers Are Saying . . .

  • "A tale of secrecy, sacrifice and family . . . This poignant story is worth the heartache: Complex and layered, The Promise of Jesse Woods goes beyond a youthful promise to center on a bond renewed by a desire for truth."

    BOOKPAGE

  • "[June Bug] is a stunning success, and readers will find themselves responding with enthusiastic inner applause."

    PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

  • "Great Christian novels are more than a story, they leave the reader pondering the state of his or her own heart. Not in the Heart demonstrates God's power to transform the seemingly untransformable."

    TITLETRAKK.COM

  • "[Every Waking Moment] has authentic characters, a compelling narrative, and a complex exploration of the brokenness and hope of human life."

    Susannah Clements, department chair of literature, Regent University

  • "Precise details of places and experiences immediately set you in the story, and the complex, likable characters give June Bug the enduring quality of a classic."

    TITLETRAKK.COM

  • "I haven't read anything so riveting and unforgettable since Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. Fabry has penned a remarkable love story, one that's filled with sacrifice, hope, and forgiveness!"

    NOVEL REVIEWS on June Bug

  • "Fabry is a talented writer with a lilting flow to his words."

    CROSSWALK.COM on Almost Heaven

  • "Fabry has built a rewarding story; it's hard to imagine inspirational fiction done better than this."

    WORLD MAGAZINE on Not in the Heart

  • "Once the story starts cooking, [Dogwood] is difficult to put down, what with Fabry's surprising plot resolution and themes of forgiveness, sacrificial love, and suffering."

    PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

  • "A tender coming-of-age story of first love, innocence lost, and the soul-freeing power of truth."

    Charles Martin, New York Times bestselling author, on The Promise of Jesse Woods

  • Under a Cloudless Sky is entertaining and a wonderful addition to the inspirational fiction genre . . . a multilayered, engaging story with rich details and interesting characters."

    ROMANTIC TIMES, 4-Star Review