The Gardener
by David Small
In 1935, Lydia Grace Finch is sent to the city to live with Uncle Jim until her family can recover from the struggles of the Great Depression. Unsure of what life will be like with an uncle who rarely smiles, Lydia makes the best of her circumstances and helps Uncle Jim with his bakery, makes friends with the bakery workers, and sees an opportunity to bring beauty to the neighborhood by planting a rooftop garden. Along the way, she writes letters to her parents and grandmother that chronicle her life away from home, and always ends with a report about her greatest goal-to make Uncle Jim smile.