A little girl and her family have just moved across the country by
train. Their new neighborhood in the city of Toronto is very different
from their home in the Saskatchewan bush, and at first everything about
"there" seems better than "here."
The little girl's dad has just finished building a dam across the
Saskatchewan River, and his new project is to build a highway through
Toronto. In Saskatchewan, he would come home for lunch every day, but
now he doesn't come until supper. The family used to love to look at the
stars, and the northern lights dancing in the night sky. But in the
city, all they can see is the glare from the streetlights. All the kids
used to run and play together, but now older brother Doug has his own
friends.
Then one day there is a knock on the door. It is Anne, who lives
kitty-corner and is also eight, going on nine, and suddenly living in
Toronto takes on a whole new light.
Laurel Croza and Matt James have beautifully captured the voice and
intense feelings of a young child who, in the midst of upheaval, finds
hope in her new surroundings.