The Water is Wide — Marianne Monson

When Mima's mother meets a pair of LDS missionaries in the small English town of Wood Box in 1844, Mima prays that the townspeople wont' treat them any differently. But when her mother chooses to be baptized, Mima's worst fears are recognized. Even her best friend refused to stand by her. So when her mother decides to leave for America, Mima is faced with some hard decisions. Should she stay in London with her brother, or face the journey to America with her mother and her strange new religion? Book one of three, The Water is Wide, begins the beautifully written adventure of a teenage girl who experiences the life of a pioneer as an outsider.