Trouble's Child — Mildred Pitts Walter

Fourteen-year-old Martha is torn between her love for her myth and superstition and her hunger for knowledge and adventure

The superstitious folks of Blue Isle believe that a child born in a storm is born to trouble. But fourteen-year-old Martha only wants to go to high school, not end up making quilts and married to some local island boy. Getting an education means leaving the island, where she was raised by her grandmother Titay -- and where she's expected to follow in Titay's footsteps as a midwife.
 
When a stranger washes ashore, Titay and Martha rescue him, but the other islanders fear he's brought sickness and death to their home. Martha is fascinated by the young man, Hal Saunders, who's saving up to go back to school for marine biology. Little by little, he opens her eyes to a bigger world, making her more determined than ever to follow her dream. Soon Martha will face the toughest challenge of her life. Which path will she choose? And what if she makes the wrong decision?