Karen Cushman

"Millie McGonigle lives in sunny California, where her days are filled with quiet waters of the bay. It should be perfect--but times are tough. Hitler is attacking Europe, and the United States may be going to war. Food is rationed, and money is tight. And Millie's sickly little sister gets all the attention and couldn't be more of a pain if she tried. It's all Millie can do to stay calm. Still, there's sand beneath her feet. And a new neighbor from...

In 1894 Oregon, Sally O'Malley is thrown out of her job and embarks on a journey to the sea, only to discover that true bravery is not about facing danger alone but about learning to rely on others.

In 1573, the crippled, scorned, and destitute Meggy Swann goes to London, where she meets her father, an impoverished alchemist, and eventually discovers that although her legs are bent and weak, she has many other strengths.

In 1599 England, twelve-year-old lying, thieving Will Sparrow runs away, meets many colorful characters on the road, and then reluctantly joins a traveling "oddities" exhibit, where he learns to see beyond appearances.

Fourteen-year-old Matilda, an apprentice bonesetter and practitioner of medicine in a village in medieval England, tries to reconcile the various aspects of her life, both spiritual and practical.

A twelve-year-old Polish American girl is boarded onto an orphan train in Chicago with fears about traveling to the West and a life of unpaid slavery.