Through the life and death of her grandfather, 12-year-old Oli receives a pouch that holds the lives of abandoned, but unique coins, coins adopted by her grandfather—and now hers. Bearing their mint inscription, In God We Trust, Oli’s coins entrust their lives with hers as she searches for the matters of the heart.
Set in Northern Idaho, near the Clearwater Mountains, Oli’s Uncommon Cents takes readers on unique journeys. These journeys introduce Oli to people who live in the back woods until winter snows drive them out, like the wildlife, all driven by hunger; these journeys introduce Oli to those who count on the charity found in Cardboard City —and journeys among ordinary people, people with scars, some hidden, some visible, and others revealed, especially after their lives become intertwined.
Despite the tensions with her controlling, and egotistical father, she manages to venture on an exploration of her own, and what she discovers are people that her father scorns. Oli’s explorations lead to life-changing lessons, and her most profound discovery is that some things in life have greater value than they’re worth.
