Even though she has been promised a grand education in America, twelve year-old Mary Cleary does not want to leave Ballydare to live with Delia, an aunt she has never met. "Tis a heart of stone Delia Reardon must have not to write her own mother," the neighbors have whispered. Even Uncle Pat doesn't know why his older sister left Ireland. But Gran insists. Determined to make peace in the family Mary arrives in Boston. But on her first morning, dressed in a maid's uniform and holding a dust rag, she listens to this aunt explain the finer points of housekeeping and wonders, "Is this the grand...

Twelve year-old Aura Lee runs away from foster care to find her only living relative, PawPaw. Since her parents death in an accident, even in her dreams she can't picture their faces, or hear their voices or the songs they wrote. Maybe living up in the mountains with her great-grandfather will help her remember. She allows seven-year old Jimmy Frank, another foster child, to tag along because they both know he is being moved again for bad behavior. But the Tennessee mountains are vast and frightening and they return and hide in her old house, even though the social workers are likely to look...

The winter of 1858 has been hard in Kentucky. Twelve year old Josh Oakley promised to take care of the family until Pa came back from a summer job on a Mississippi steamboat. Now Pa is missing, the food about gone, and Ma and his little sister, Polly, are sick. When Ma says they should go to Pleasant Hill where the Shakers, take in anyone in need, Josh argues..."Pa said Shakers got strange ways. Don't allow marrying, shake and dance in Church" But Ma insists and Josh gives in. It's not like they'd be "Winter Shakers," living free until planting time then running off. He'd work hard, and Pa...