What a terrific book! Elements of it reminded me of a mix of the movie Pollyanna and the book To Kill A Mockingbird. In 1936,12 year old Abilene is sent by her Dad to Manifest, Kansas. She arrives alone, not knowing what to expect or when her Dad will be back to get her. 
 While staying in town, she discovers a treasure box from a boy that lived in Manifest in 1918. The local "fortune teller", whom she ends up working for, tells the story of the boy and how the town became what it is today. Along the way, Abilene learns that things are not always as they seem and neither are people. And that family can be found in lots of places.