Patricia MacLachlan

Barkus is a large and very smart dog who comes to live with seven-year-old Nicky when Nicky's Uncle Everton goes traveling--and soon he is a family and school favorite.

Eleven-year-old aspiring writer Louisa considers traveling the world with her globetrotting parents, but friendship with George helps her to see her grandparents' farm on Deer Island in a new light.

Publisher Annotation: Declan O'Brien always had a gentle word to share, odd phrases he liked to repeat, and songs to sing while he played basketball. His favorite song was "Dona Nobis Pacem," "Grant Us Peace." His family loved him deeply and always knew they were loved in return. But a terrible accident one day changes their lives forever, and Fiona and Finn O'Brien are left without a father. Their mother is at a loss. What words are there to guide...

Before they were the Boxcar Children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden lived with their parents on Fair Meadow Farm

Although times are hard, the Aldens are happy—"the best family of all," Mama likes to say. One day, a blizzard hits the countryside, and a traveling family needs shelter. The Aldens take them in, and the strangers soon become friends. But things never stay the same at the farm, and the spring and summer bring events

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Barkus is a large and very clever dog, and Baby is a cat, and together their adventures make life exciting for seven-year-old Nicky and her family.

As her family gathers for the wedding of her sister Anna, fourth-grader Cassie Whiting sees the many changes brought about by everyday life and finds comfort in the love of those around her, especially her grandfather.

An eleven-year-old cellist learns about life from her eccentric family, her first boyfriend, and Mozart.

A young boy describes the favorite places that he shares with his family on his grandparents' farm and in the nearby countryside.

Robbie and his dog, Ellie, spend the summer at his grandmother Maddy's house, where Robbie learns many things about his emotionally distant parents and himself.

"Dubbing his new triplet sisters "the Trips," nine-year-old Jacob studies them for a science project by watching them grow and realizes they aren't just "the Trips" anymore, but individuals he has come to love. Jacob wants a litter of puppies. His parents have a different surprise: he's going to be a brother... to triplets. The babies look identical to him and he gives them a name: "the Trips." For a school science project, Jacob decides to study...