The Gift Stone
Robyn Eversole
Hardcover
(Knopf Books for Young Readers, Oct. 13, 1998)
What would it be like to live in an underground house? Surrounded by the most beautiful gems in the world? Jean knows; she lives in Coober Pedy, an underground mining town in the Australian Outback, where her father mines for opals--gift stones. But as extraordinary as her life is, she yearns for what most children already have--a real home and the opportunity to go to a real school. So when Jean discovers a beautiful opal hidden in the wall of her aunt's underground house, everything changes. Her family helps Jean turn it into schoolbooks, clothes, and even a spare bed in her grandparents' home in Adelaide. In this modern-day fairy tale, Jean learns that sometimes wishes can come true, especially the more they mean to you.
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