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In the Heart of the Woods
A boy, a forest, and the summer that changed everything.
It's the summer of 1957, and ten-year-old Herbie Hereford is afraid of the woods across the street from his house in Upton Grove, Ohio.
When three neighborhood kids—bold Tommy, inquisitive Skeeter, and unpredictable Roger—invite him to explore them, he says yes. Together they wade into ponds, track deer, build a boat, and learn to read the rhythms of a wild place that becomes as familiar as home—one of the last remnants of the great eastern forest of the American Midwest.
For Herbie, the woods offer something he can't find at home, where his father's silences and sudden anger press on everything—even the brightest summer days. That summer, he discovers that courage isn't only something you find in the forest.
In the Heart of the Woods is a coming-of-age story for middle-grade readers and for adults who remember what it meant to have a place that was entirely yours. For fans of Because of Winn-Dixie, Hoot, and Dandelion Wine.
"Maybe this is how we save the world—through the eyes of children who can see the magic that fades in the years spent growing old."
—Bill Kurtis, television journalist, author, and environmentalist
"Johnson has an unerring touch for describing how Herbie confronts not only his own fears but the frightening emotions of his troubled parents."
—L. Sue Baugh, award-winning author of Echoes of the Earth
"The woods become a kind of fifth character, a realm of freedom with a magnetism and wisdom of its own."
—Rich Elliott, author of The Secret History of Famous People
It's the summer of 1957, and ten-year-old Herbie Hereford is afraid of the woods across the street from his house in Upton Grove, Ohio.
When three neighborhood kids—bold Tommy, inquisitive Skeeter, and unpredictable Roger—invite him to explore them, he says yes. Together they wade into ponds, track deer, build a boat, and learn to read the rhythms of a wild place that becomes as familiar as home—one of the last remnants of the great eastern forest of the American Midwest.
For Herbie, the woods offer something he can't find at home, where his father's silences and sudden anger press on everything—even the brightest summer days. That summer, he discovers that courage isn't only something you find in the forest.
In the Heart of the Woods is a coming-of-age story for middle-grade readers and for adults who remember what it meant to have a place that was entirely yours. For fans of Because of Winn-Dixie, Hoot, and Dandelion Wine.
"Maybe this is how we save the world—through the eyes of children who can see the magic that fades in the years spent growing old."
—Bill Kurtis, television journalist, author, and environmentalist
"Johnson has an unerring touch for describing how Herbie confronts not only his own fears but the frightening emotions of his troubled parents."
—L. Sue Baugh, award-winning author of Echoes of the Earth
"The woods become a kind of fifth character, a realm of freedom with a magnetism and wisdom of its own."
—Rich Elliott, author of The Secret History of Famous People
193 pages, Paperback
Published September 8, 2026
About the author
Christopher Johnson
2 booksChristopher Johnson is a writer based in the Chicago area and is a former merchant seaman, high school English teacher, and textbook-publishing executive. In 2026, 12 Willows Press published his novel, In the Heart of the Woods. In 2006, the University of New Hampshire Press published his first book, This Grand and Magnificent Place: The Wilderness Heritage of the White Mountains. In 2013, Island Press published his second book, Forests for the People: The Story of America’s Eastern National Forests, which he co-authored with David Govatski. His work has appeared in The Progressive, Mother Earth News, American Forests, and other publications. He holds a BA from the University of Notre Dame and an MA from Northwestern University.
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