Under the Lilacs (version 2)

When sisters Bab and Betty Moss set out for a spring morning adventure, they find more than they bargained for: a ragged boy fleeing a traveling circus and his dog, a poodle with a mysterious talent for spelling. Ben Brown has no home, no family, only a secret past he cannot speak aloud. The kind neighbor Miss Celia sees something worth saving in the frightened boy and offers him shelter among the lilacs. What follows is a story of belonging - of how two sisters and their community become the family Ben never thought he'd find. There's adventure in these pages: a lost inheritance, a stolen horse, midnight journeys, and a dog who may be more clever than any human. But at its heart, Under the Lilacs is about the quiet miracle of being seen, of being taken in when you have nothing left to give. For readers who believe that family is something you choose, Alcott offers a 19th-century reminder that home is where someone decides to keep you.