The Year the Swallows Came Early

Debut novelist Kathryn Fitzmaurice delivers a critically acclaimed tale of family bonds that School Library Journal says "encourages understanding, tolerance, and forgiveness." Nine-year-old Eleanor "Groovy" Robinson dreams of one day attending culinary school and becoming a great chef. But then her father-a compulsive gambler-nearly destroys Groovy's future. Heartbroken, Groovy slowly begins to understand the importance of reconciliation. "Groovy's first-person narrative sensitively shows both her strength and her uncertainty ."-Booklist, starred review