Abbie Mackenzie Deal

Abbie Mackenzie is an eight year old girl with big dreams when the novel begins. Abbie wants to grow up and be a famous singer someday, and to paint pictures that will hang in a museum and write words that will live forever in a book. Abbie often practices her singing in the woods, singing to the trees and pretending they are a big audience in New York. One day Abbie is seen singing in the woods by the local doctor's son. Ed Matthews offers to take Abbie to New York where she can take singing lessons and maybe help her become a famous singer. However, the offer comes with a proposal of marriage. Abbie accepts, filled with dreams of stardom. When Will Deal comes home, though, Abbie realizes she does not love Ed Matthews and she ends the engagement.

Abbie and Will marry and move...