It's 1935, and Ellen and her mother must leave their dried up Saskatchewan farm to board with Aunt Gladys in Toronto. Intimidated by her new surroundings, Ellen chooses to hide in the branches of the large leafy tree outside her window and watch their neighborhood children playing, rather than joining in their games. But when Ellen overhears a plan to evict the family next door from their home, she must overcome her fears and warn Charlene, the oldest girl in the family. Together, the girls foil their greedy building manager's plot and "hatch" a plan to sell eggs in order to pay the family's mounting back rent.

There are 172 pages in this book. This book was published 2011 by Fitzhenry & Whiteside Ltd .

Celia Barker Lottridge was born in Iowa. When she was a child her family moved often, from the prairies to the west coast, then to the east coast and finally back to the prairies. In 1975 she moved to Toronto where she worked in the Children's Book Store and began to write books for children. She also became a very active storyteller, performing in schools, libraries and theaters.