A Stitch in Time

Gr 4–6—Eleven-year-old Donut's world is turned upside-down when her father is tragically killed in an automobile accident. Just as suddenly as her father disappeared, Aunt Agnes appears from Boston, her rigid personality an unwelcome presence in Donut's quiet Vermont town. When Agnes resolves to bring Donut back to the big city with her, the young girl can't imagine her future anywhere not layered with reminders of her father. When her godfather, Sam, fails to convince Agnes to allow Donut to stay with him, she sets out to live at Chanticleer, an abandoned cabin in the woods on the edge of Dog Pond. As Donut hunkers down, she wills Aunt Agnes to leave for Boston without her, gathering support from friends in her village. Kalmar transports readers into the woods of Vermont with her vivid descriptions. Readers will empathize with Donut's heartache over the loss of her father and her fierce desire to resist change at all costs. A superb read-aloud, educators and readers will find much to discuss.