"I literally couldn't put it down. This is a novel to encourage!" - Gary D. Schmidt, Author of The Wednesday Wars "A deeply moving story of an inspiring young girl and her refusal to give up hope." - Kate Albus, Author of A Place to Hang the Moon A tender, hopeful story about growing up set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War It's 1965. The United States is fighting a war against Communism, LBJ is in the White House, and the CBS news anchor Walter Cronkite is "the most trusted man in America." But for twelve-year-old Sydney Carter, there are also Trixie Belden mysteries, her friends, who call themselves the Rat Finks; her dog, Por'Nada; and the Beatles. She's counting down the days until her father, an army captain deployed in Vietnam, comes home. Then a telegram arrives that says her father is dead. At the funeral no one looks in the casket. Sydney is convinced the army made a huge mistake and believes her father is still alive. Who can she turn to for help? This epistolary novel by the debut author Patricia Hinely is poignant, tender, and full of hope.