Kelly's Cabin

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Harvard,
Massachusetts.

Kelly is bored at her new home in Grand Prairie. Her only friend,
Melissa, goes away every weekend and the only other person to play with
is Sean, who Melissa says is mean. Kelly’s parents allow her to make a
playhouse from the refrigerator box, and she has fun decorating it and
pretending to be a pioneer girl on the prairie. She is hurt when Melissa
doesn’t like the cabin and doesn’t want to play in it. Sean admires
it, but Kelly refuses to let him in. She lets Sean’s dog Winnie visit,
but one evening accidentally she locks Winnie in the playhouse. In the
middle of the night Kelly realizes her mistake and goes out in the dark
to rescue the dog. She meets Sean and his mother and tells them what she
did. Sean admires that she was bold enough to come out in the dark by
herself, and Kelly realizes that she has a friend who appreciates her
and her playhouse.

This Grade 2–level chapter book visits the perennial themes of
adjusting to a move and making new friends that will especially appeal
to young girls who may have shared Kelly’s experiences. The sentences
are short and easy to read and understand, and the full-page
illustrations are very attractive. The plot suggests a number of
interesting ideas, such as using your imagination in play, not judging
people based on what others tell you, and being brave enough to admit
your mistakes. Recommended.