The history of the McElmurry-Calhoun family unfolds through the mystical travels of Annie Sesstry, a bright, audacious, and artistically talented African American teen who is resistant to her parents' efforts to instill in her an appreciation for her bloodline and African American culture.

Book one of the Time Travels of Annie, Sly as a Fox, introduces Annie to a family secret of time travelers searching through the ages attempting to identify an ancient, unknown ancestor brought to America on a slave ship. On a family outing, Annie, her sister Emma, and her cousin Joshua fall through a time portal that takes them back to Crawford County, Georgia, in 1867. They meet their fourth-generation great-grandparents and a slew of ancestral aunts and uncles, experiencing the post-Civil War South during Reconstruction. When danger threatens, the community comes together for a rescue mission. Their adventures give a whole new meaning to family.