Christine McDonnell

Relates the story of social activist Kip Tiernan and her efforts to open Rosie's Place, the nation's first homeless shelter for women, in Boston.

"The first baby arrived on the mail plane, the second two on the ferry, the fourth asleep on a pile of nets, smelling of mackerel. Who were the babies? Where did they come from? The notes left with them said "Please keep this baby safe" and "Please give my child shelter." Only the librarian can take them home, and the library is where they grow up. The whole island helps to raise them. The fisherman teaches them to cast from the pier, the ferryman...

Reunited for the summer, friends Emily, Ivy, and Lydia keep busy creating a day camp, a toddler day care center, and other projects.

When Bea becomes interested in ballet, she starts taking classes, auditions for The Nutcracker, and makes a new best friend, but also must cope with some nasty classmates and a possible conflict between playing hockey and dancing.