"Nora and Ben's younger sister, Birdy, loves to keep secrets. She surprises her family more than once: She hides a kitten in her room. She writes a beautiful poem. One day Birdy watches her mother spit into a tube, ready to send it off to find out more about herself and where her family came from. Birdy spits into a tube, too, when no one sees her. But when the test results come back, there is a surprise. Where did Birdy come from? Nora and Ben must...

While spending Christmas at their grandparents' farm, Lily becomes convinced that her younger brother Liam is right about White Cow being lonely and helps him seek a companion for her, leaving little time for Christmas preparations or reading.

Before they were the Boxcar children, Henry, Jessie, Violet, and Benny Alden lived with their parents on Fair Meadow Farm.