Dorothy Joan Harris

Melanie Burton is quiet and good--and always gets top grades in school. But that's not enough anymore. She wants to be really special, and she thinks that being thin will do it. Melanie doesn't understand what all the fuss is about--after all, almost everybody diets at some time or other. She's just very good at it. So good, she lands herself in the hospital.

In Vancouver, 1941, as the war rages on in Europe, the United States joins in the fight after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces. Suddenly, Japanese Canadians are considered to be "enemies," and Amy Takashima and her family fear for their safety and freedom. Ellen cannot understand why her best friend should be punished, especially since Amy was born in Canada and her parents have been wonderful neighbors. But others in the community think that the Takashimas could be spies---which only strengthens the girls' friendship as they cling together for comfort. What will happen to Amy and her family? Will the war separate the girls forever?

A story about a boy's humane efforts to catch the mouse that has taken up residence in his kitchen.

Unable to sleep, Jeffrey gathers many of his favorite things into bed with him and finally finds comfort from a very special friend.

Knowing that his mouse is now living at school makes first grade more appealing to a six-year-old.

Jonathan has a very unusal dog. It likes to go to the park and watch TV and eat toast crumbs. And it's inisible. His big sister Elizabeth says Dog isn't real, but Jonathan and Grandmas know better.... A story about imagination and sharing. (from back cover)

When his friend Toby gets the mumps, Jonathan finds that after school blackboard duty isn't much fun until he meets an enterprising mouse with interesting ideas.

During the Depression in 1939, ten-year-old Ellen misses her life before her father lost his job and her family had to move in with her grandfather in Vancouver, but when she meets a friendly homeless man who lives in the dangerous Hobo Jungle near the railroad tracks, her perspective on her own life changes.

William likes to talk to cats and birds, to gaze at the clouds and smell the flowers. He never rushes anywhere. But when he decides to paint racing stripes on his sneakers, his life speeds up more than he could ever have imagined.

Four-year-old Jonathan's new friend Mouse takes up residence in his sister's dollhouse - but only in the winter months.