Patricia MacLachlan

When a drought tests the commitment of a mail-order bride from Maine to her new home on the prairie, her stepchildren hope they will be able to remain a family.

A sad and silent nine-year-old boy finds his voice when he moves next to a family that rescues dogs.

In this illustrated poem in honor of the victims of the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, falling snowflakes celebrate the uniqueness of life, its precious, simple moments, and the strength of memory.

A visiting author teaches five friends about the power of words and writing.

Ten year-old Jake shares a special bond with his grandfather, Billy, but when Billy asks Jake to build him a sod house, Jake is not sure he wants to do it.

Eight-year-old Cassie Witting is upset when she finds out that her mother, Sarah, is expecting a baby, but writing in the journal that belonged to her brother Caleb helps her sort out her feelings and understand that Sarah will always love her.

Emma learns to accept "different strokes for different folks" when her aunt and uncle come to take care of her and her brother.

Fiona explores the nighttime wonders of the outdoors, from the sounds of the owl and mockingbird to flowers that bloom only in the dark.

In the year before they become the orphans known as the Boxcar children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden live with their parents at Fair Meadow Farm, where, although times are hard, they take in a family who has been stranded in their car during a blizzard.