Only his strange great-aunt seems to understand the thoughts of a boy who has spent his life concealing his emotions, on an eerie, snowy night after rescuing a dog that dislikes him.
A clever raven, having overheard a plan by nearby townspeople to chop down the forest and sell the wood, alerts his animal friends who come up with a plan to teach the greedy humans a lesson.
Eight-year-old Maurice's struggle to protect his bedroom full of treasured "junk" from unsympathetic parents undergoes a transformation when the family moves to the country.
When their father invites a mail-order bride to live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay.
