First published 2009
Nine-year-old Garnet Linden discovers a silver thimble in the parched riverbed near her family's struggling farm. Within hours, rain breaks the devastating drought that has threatened their crops and livestock. Garnet believes the thimble carries magical powers, and the summer ahead seems to prove her right. An orphan boy named Eric joins the Linden household and becomes part of the family. The farm prospers enough to build a new barn. Garnet tends her pig Timmy with devoted care, dreaming of the county fair competition. She and her best friend Citronella find adventure in each passing day. When fair time arrives, Timmy wins the coveted blue ribbon Garnet hoped for. Every good fortune feels connected to her precious discovery. The thimble becomes her explanation for a season filled with joy, growth, and wonder. For Garnet, this magical summer belongs entirely to the small silver object that changed everything when the rains finally came.
Genres: fiction, family-life, 20th-century, adventure, coming-of-age
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, magical-object
Setting: Linden Farm
Period: Summer
146 pages · Unknown Binding · Barnes & Noble, By Arrangement With Henry Holt. LLC