Books with title Helen of the Old House

In the street, up there, was an old, a very old house - it was almost three hundred years old, for that might be known by reading the great beam on which the date of the year was carved: together with tulips and hop-binds, there were whole verses spelled as in former times, and over every window was a distorted face cut out in the beam. The one story stood forward a great way over the other; and directly under the eaves was a leaden spout with a dragon's head; the rain-water should have run out of the mouth, but it ran out of the belly, for there was a hole in the spout...

From three-time Edgar Award–winning author Willo Davis Roberts comes the “instantly compelling” (Kirkus Reviews) classic mystery, originally published as Buddy Is a Stupid Name for a Girl, about a young girl who unravels her family’s deepest, darkest secrets.All Buddy ever wanted was a normal family. But with her mother dead, her father missing, and her brother on the road searching for him, Buddy has a hard time believing it will ever happen. Instead she’s living with relatives she hardly knows who resent her for reasons she can’t figure out. They think everything about her is strange, especially her name. Despite all this, Buddy clings to the hope that her father is out there, somewhere, and that her brother will find him so they can be a family again. Until then will Buddy find a way to accept her new life and figure out the mystery behind her relatives’ disapproving stares?

From three-time Edgar Award–winning author Willo Davis Roberts comes the “instantly compelling” (Kirkus Reviews) classic mystery, originally published as Buddy Is a Stupid Name for a Girl, about a young girl who unravels her family’s deepest, darkest secrets.All Buddy ever wanted was a normal family. But with her mother dead, her father missing, and her brother on the road searching for him, Buddy has a hard time believing it will ever happen. Instead she’s living with relatives she hardly knows who resent her for reasons she can’t figure out. They think everything about her is strange, especially her name. Despite all this, Buddy clings to the hope that her father is out there, somewhere, and that her brother will find him so they can be a family again. Until then will Buddy find a way to accept her new life and figure out the mystery behind her relatives’ disapproving stares?

An old house gets a new lease on life when the right family comes along. The old house is lonely because it has been empty for so long. Its droopy shutters and sagging porch discourage buyers?until a certain family stops by. While the children see lots of potential for good times, the parents see lots of work ahead. Will the house pull itself together in time to impress the new family?

Kate Kinloch is used to the world around her responding to life's events and her emotions better than she does. A laughing kitchen. A rainbow swarm of birds. A shaking house. It's a normal occurrence ever since her father died when she was a young girl. After that, Kate's life managed to continually darken. In fact, something terrible happened--worse than her father's death, her mother's alcoholism, and her abusive stepfather--causing part of her mind to shut down.Now an adult, living on her inherited farm, Kate lives in her own little world, harvesting heirloom vegetables, creating mood-altering recipes, as she tries to mend what few relationships she has left. One is with her childhood best-friend, Easton, who she shared a kiss with after a funeral, and then avoided for a year, afraid to get too close. And the relationship with her older sister, Amy, needs some work too; Amy has been growing tired of Kate's childish behavior. Both Easton and Amy push Kate to remember what happened so she can finally move on.

An old house gets a new lease on life when the right family comes along. The old house is lonely because it has been empty for so long. Its droopy shutters and sagging porch discourage buyers?until a certain family stops by. While the children see lots of potential for good times, the parents see lots of work ahead. Will the house pull itself together in time to impress the new family?

The old house is lonely because it has been empty for so long. Its friends try to cheer it up, but the house seems to prefer self-pity. Its droopy shutters and sagging front porch discourage all buyers—until the day a certain family comes to take a look. While the children see lots of potential for good times, the mother and father see a lot of work ahead. Will the house pull itself together in time to impress them, or will it be condemned to more unhappiness? This story about the deep connection between family and homestead will resonate with readers young and old.

From three-time Edgar Award–winning author Willo Davis Roberts comes the “instantly compelling” (Kirkus Reviews) classic mystery, originally published as Buddy Is a Stupid Name for a Girl, about a young girl who unravels her family’s deepest, darkest secrets.All Buddy ever wanted was a normal family. But with her mother dead, her father missing, and her brother on the road searching for him, Buddy has a hard time believing it will ever happen. Instead she’s living with relatives she hardly knows who resent her for reasons she can’t figure out. They think everything about her is strange, especially her name. Despite all this, Buddy clings to the hope that her father is out there, somewhere, and that her brother will find him so they can be a family again. Until then will Buddy find a way to accept her new life and figure out the mystery behind her relatives’ disapproving stares?

The kitchen chuckles, warm and comforting like an old grandmother. The earth shakes with joy at spring’s arrival. Food expresses deep-seated emotions. Trees scream and beetles appear in the presence of evil. Anxious storms emerge. Kate Kinloch is used to the world around her responding to life’s events and her emotions better than she does. It’s a normal occurrence ever since her father died when she was a young girl. After that, Kate’s life managed to continually darken. In fact, something terrible happened—worse than her father’s death, her mother’s alcoholism, and her abusive stepfather—causing part of her mind to shut down. Now an adult, living on her inherited farm, Kate lives in her own little world, harvesting heirloom vegetables, creating mood-altering recipes, as she tries to mend what few relationships she has left. One is with her childhood best-friend, Easton, who she shared a kiss with after a funeral, and then avoided for a year, afraid to get too close. And the relationship with her older sister, Amy, needs some work too; Amy has been growing tired of Kate’s childish behavior. Both Easton and Amy push Kate to remember what happened so she can finally move on.