Harper and her family live in a ramshackle house in the country. Her brother, Tin, lives below them, building tunnels. It is the Depression and each of them is coping in their own way. One year their lives are changed forever by the misguided actions of a well heeled neighbour.
"A startling coming-of-age story. . . . Through Harper, Hartnett captures the humanity of her spirited, slightly eccentric, and then nearly broken characters." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) Harper Flute believes that her younger brother Tin, with his uncanny ability to dig, was born to burrow. While their family struggles to survive in a bleak landscape during the Great Depression, the silent and elusive little Tin begins to tunnel beneath their tiny shanty. As time passes, Tin becomes a wild thing, leaving his family further and further behind. Sonya Hartnett tells a breathtakingly original coming-of-age story through the clear eyes of an observant child, with exquisite prose, richly drawn characters, and a touch of magical realism.
Four middle school children who deal with real life issues, from cutting in on lunch lines to tragic car accidents, learn to turn enemies into friends through compassion.