In 1849 a twelve-year-old girl who calls herself Lucy is distraught when her mother moves the family from Massachusetts to a small California mining town. There Lucy helps run a boarding house and looks for comfort in books while trying to find a way to return "home."

Author Biography

Karen Cushman has had a lifelong interest in history and "wanted to know what ordinary life was like for ordinary young people in other times." Her research led to the writing of Catherine, Called Birdy, a Newbery Honor book, and The Midwife's Apprentice, a Newbery Medal winner. She lives on Vashon Island, Washington. www.karencushmanbooks.com