FINEST KIND

Living in Boston, 12-year-old Jake Webber and his family were used to fine parties, music, candles and elegant clothes, and Jake was responsible only for going to school, being polite and staying out of the way. But after the Panic of 1837, Mr. Webber loses his job and, suddenly poor, his family moves to Maine to a tiny house found for them by Cousin Ben. With Father away at his new job in the mill and Mother tending to six-year-old Frankie, who has mysterious fits and whom they keep a secret from neighbors, Jake must take on manly responsibilities if they are to survive. Through hard work and the help of a colorful cast of characters, Jake learns that, despite their hard circumstances, life in Maine can be the “finest kind,” the best of the best. Well-written with loving detail about life in coastal Maine and a lesson clearly taught about the importance of friends and community, this is a story that will linger in the hearts of readers. (historical notes) (Fiction. 8-12)