Dorothy at Oak Knowe

A girl alone in a strange country, forgotten at the station. This is the opening gambit of a novel that understands exactly how terrifying childhood can be. Dorothy Calvert arrives at Toronto's railway station to find no one waiting, her new life suddenly suspended in the air like a held breath. But then appears John Gilpin, a well-meaning if bumbling old stranger, and the journey to Oak Knowe School for Girls begins. What starts as a story about displacement and belonging transforms when Dorothy begins to unravel a mystery hidden within the school's walls and the eccentric community surrounding it. The early 20th century Canadian setting lends both charm and texture to a narrative that understands how children experience the world: as a place of equal parts wonder and danger.