The Gift Stone

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.