The House on Hawthorn Court

A long and difficult school year was rapidly coming to an end. Katie, a fourth grader with ADHD, would soon be free from the burden of having to stay focused during instruction and being the object of gossip among the popular girls in class.

When Katie and her family arrived on Cape Cod, Katie was shocked to see her father park his car in front of the house on Hawthorn Court, the same house that belongs to the old woman who terrified Katie and her friends, Carrie and Lila, two summers ago. Where was the old woman now? Why were they renting her house? Little did Katie realize that while living in the house on Hawthorn Court, she would gain a wealth of information about its inhabitants and their connection to New England's whaling industry.

As the summer drew to an end, Katie came to realize that many of life's lessons are learned outside the classroom and that first impressions could often be misleading. Ready to meet the challenges of the coming school year, a confident Katie bid farewell to her beloved Cape until her return next summer.