Baldwin, Cindy

The unexpected appearance of a dolphin in her backyard creek helps a sixth-grader with cystic fibrosis learn to write her own story.

"Ivy Mae Bloom is almost thirteen years old...She desperately wants a place to put down roots, but it's her mama's job as a fallen star to tend the magic underpinning the world...After Ivy steals Mama's entire supply of wish jars in the hopes of finding a place to call home, disaster strands her family in Whistling Ridge, North Carolina...Ivy falls for Whistling Ridge immediately; she just needs to convince her parents to stay"--Provided by publisher.

Twelve-year-old Della Kelly of Maryville, North Carolina, tries to come to terms with her mother's mental illness while her father struggles to save the farm from a record-breaking drought.

Starting to emerge from her shell in the months after devastating losses, Annie Lee takes piano lessons from an elderly mall pianist before his disappearance forces her to break a promise to a new friend.

"Annie Lee's daddy won't stop leaving his record player on, and his whiskers are in the sink every morning. Except Annie Lee's daddy died eighty-three days ago. Annie Lee doesn't like the word "ghost," but whatever is going on isn't making things easier for her and Mama. Mama works around the clock, barely making ends meet, and Annie Lee's best friends ditched her over the summer. She's starting middle school without a soul to sit by at lunch -- until she meets tough skater girl Mitch. Mitch might need a friend as badly as she does, but after losing so much, Annie Lee can't chance losing more. Mitch isn't the only new friend Annie Lee has made. Ray is an elderly pianist whose music is pure magic. He sees right through her imaginary invisibility cloak, and when Annie Lee begs for piano lessons, he agrees to teach her. But after Ray goes missing, finding him means breaking a promise to Mitch. Faced, once again, with losing the people she's grown close to, Annie Lee will have to make a choice: hide under the invisibility cloak that's been keeping her safe, or risk admitting how much she needs Mitch and Ray, even if it means getting hurt."--.

Twelve-year-old Della Kelly of Maryville, North Carolina, tries to come to terms with her mother's mental illness while her father struggles to save the farm from a record-breaking drought.