Helen Plum Library

In 1956, toward the end of Reverend John Ames's life, he begins a letter to his young son, an account of himself and his forebears. Ames is the son of an Iowan preacher and the grandson of a minister who, as a young man in Maine, saw a vision of Christ bound in chains and came west to Kansas to fight for abolition: He "preached men into the Civil War", then, at age 50, became a chaplain in the Union Army, losing his right eye in battle. Reverend Ames...

Twelve-year-old Annie ponders the many rhythms of life the year that her mother becomes pregnant, her grandfather begins faltering, and her best friend (and running partner) becomes distant

A child explores the ordinary life of his extraordinary great-grandfather, as expressed in his topiary garden

As her family gathers for the wedding of her sister Anna, fourth-grader Cassie Whiting sees the many changes brought about by everyday life and finds comfort in the love of those around her, especially her grandfather

An elderly grandfather bear and his adoring grandson share a special relationship

Soon after Grandpa's teeth disappear from a glass of water near his bed, Inspector Rate has the whole town under investigation

"After having saved the peculiar world, Jacob Portman is back in Florida with his peculiar friends, where they set out on a journey across America to discover the truth about Jacob's grandfather"--

Sitting in the kitchen of his grandfather's Chinese restaurant, a young boy enjoys watching the chefs and waiters prepare and serve mouth-watering dishes