No-Name Baby

Sophie remembered last night’s dream and the gray stones—a whole row of them like the ones under the trees. Each stone was etched with letters that she couldn’t quite read. Sophie's pregnant mother falls and Sophie knows the accident is her fault. Premature labor begins and everyone fears the infant might join the others under the gray stones. Aunt Rae arrives to help care for the baby and mother, but her presence only increases the tension in the family. Aunt Rae finds her niece talking with the young man from a neighboring farm and confronts her, revealing something that shakes Sophie's world.

No-Name Baby is an intimate portrait of a young girl as she discovers the truth about herself and her family.

“How does an almost-14-year-old girl handle the tragedy of her mother’s giving birth to one doomed preemie after another? ... The rural, post–World War I setting is evocatively evoked, and strong character development drives the quiet plot toward a believable conclusion. With its authentic depiction of the hardships of early-20th-century life and well-rounded characters, this is an agreeable, ultimately optimistic tale of the strength of the human spirit.”
—Kirkus Reviews

Fully fleshed out characters interact realistically as Sophie is flanked by the support of her caring, respectful grandmother and loving father .... [T]he emotional drama will keep [readers] turning pages to the poignant resolution.”
—School Library Journal