<DIV>Two-time Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry brings a brand-new, beautiful diary to the Dear America series!&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;Suddenly orphaned by the Spanish flu epidemic in the fall of 1918, eleven-year-old Lydia Pierce and her fourteen-year-old brother, Daniel, of Portland, Maine, are taken by their uncle to be raised in the Shaker community at Sabbathday Lake. Thrust into the Shakers' unfamiliar way of life, Lydia must grapple with a new world that is nothing like the one she used to know.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;Now separated from her beloved brother, for men and women do not mix in this community, Lydia must adjust to many changes. But in time, and with her courageous spirit, she learns to find the joy in life again. Since she is separated from her beloved brother -- for males and females do not live together in this communal village -- Lydia is forced to adjust to the restrictions placed upon her once carefree, creative spirit all on her own.&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;PRAISE FOR DEAR AMERICA:&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;"More than a supplement to classroom textbooks, this series is an imaginative, solid entre into American history." --PUBLISHERS WEEKLY &amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;"An impressive series that will challenge students to make connections from prominent historical events to relevant life situations . . . A wonderful asset to the classroom as well as to home libraries." --CHILDREN'S BOOK REVIEW SERVICE&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;"Engaging, accessible historical fiction." --SLJ&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;&amp;lt;br&amp;gt;"The Dear America diaries represent the best of historical fiction for any age." --CHICAGO TRIBUNE</div>