A twelve year old girl's quest for faith and understanding, in the face of ballet, her parents' divorce, and a move to a new town. Madeline's struggle to understand the world around her will resonate with readers of all ages. Ann Hood is the acclaimed author of seven novels and a short-story collection, AN ORNITHOLOGIST'S GUIDE TO LIFE. Her short stories and essays have appeared in THE NEW YORK TIMES, GLIMMER TRAIN, DOUBLE TAKE, THE MISSOURI REVIEW, THE WASHINGTON POST, TRAVELER, BON APPETIT, and many other publications. She has won a Pushcart Prize, Best American Spiritual Writing Award, and the Paul Bowles Prize for Short Fiction. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island. Praise for AN ORNITHOLOGIST'S GUIDE TO LIFE: "Hood is a seductive storyteller, given her emotionally reckless and nonconformist characters, sensuous detail, precise dialogue, and keen rendition of the inner monologue that so often contradicts what we say and do.... Arresting." --- BOOKLIST