The War At Home
Fear permeates the Rhode Island coastal town where Robert, his mother, and sister are living out the war with his paternal grandparents: Fear of Nazi submarines offshore. Fear of Abel Hoffman, a German artist living reclusively outside of town. And for Robert, a more personal fear, of his hot-tempered, controlling grandfather.
As Robert watches the townspeople's hostility toward Hoffman build, he worries about his sensitive cousin Elliot's friendship with the artist. And he wonders more and more about the family secret everyone seems to be keeping from him -- a secret involving Robert's father, a bomber pilot in Europe. Will Elliot's ability to detach himself from the turmoil around him be enough to sustain him when prejudice and suspicions erupt into violence? And can Robert find his own way to deal with the shocking truth about his family's past?

Mary and her sister Elsie's violin teacher, the flamboyant Miss Fitch, lies in the hospital, recovering from a brutal attack. Elsie, Miss Fitch's favored, talented student, refuses to visit her, declaring her a fraud, and worse. What has turned Elsie against her formerly beloved teacher?

Mary can't believe the shocking secret from Miss Fitch's past that her sister has unearthed. She insists that they confront the teacher to get to the truth. But the sisters discover that truth -- about the grim days in occupied France during World War II, about the mysterious incident that put Miss Fitch in the hospital, and even about themselves -- is not that simple.