Eight-year-old Ruthie is an "only:" the only sister in a family with six brothers, and the only third-grader in her one-room schoolhouse. She is not happy with either situation, and she is also unable to be "ladylike" even though it would please her mother. But things are about to change: twin girls Ruthie's age move nearby, and the start of World War One might mean that her brother Joe will be taken into the army. A great choice for those readers not quite ready for the length of Little House on the Prairie but interested in reading books about families and girls with great character.

Contributed by B. Karp