That Smudge of Smoke

That Smudge of Smoke, spans the years from 1929 to 2015 in a middle grade novel about two twelve-year-olds navigating crucial changes in their lives. The vital link between the characters and their time periods is a diary hidden in a door for the intervening eighty-six years—a door salvaged from an old Chesapeake Bay steamboat. The diary, known as Dorie, takes on the unexpected role of narrator, a compelling character in itself. Fans of Lauren Wolk (Beyond the Bright Sea) and Natalie Babbit (Tuck Everlasting) will enjoy this multi-generational story of hope, friendship, family, and of the far-reaching influence of history and music.