Carrots and Miggle: A Novel of East Texas. Ardath Mayhar

After the Ramsdens lose their father, Charlotte («Carrots»), her brother, her young sister, and her mother continue to operate their East Texas dairy farm. Then their cousin from Eastern Europe, Emiglia («Miggle») is orphaned, and is forced to come live with them. When she arrives, she's shocked to find her relatives engaging in manual labor, which her late parents considered fit only for peasants. But as the two girls begin to find some common ground, they discover that they're becoming a real family after all.<P>
"Filled with well-drawn, sympathetic characters facing real-life tragedy."–Robert Reginald.