Somebody is filling the Longs Bay dock stockings early — and only for the folks who have had a hard year. Every December, the dock families hang their stockings in a row, to be filled on Christmas Eve. But this year the gifts come days early: a shell polished till it shines, a packet of cocoa, a little carved wooden fish — each one handmade, and each one carrying a bit of red thread. Seven-year-old Nell is on the case. With Beak watching the dawn and Wick slipping where no one else can go, she follows cedar sawdust and a trail of footprints in bakery flour to a secret somebody meant to keep. A gentle Christmas mystery about paying attention, keeping a kind secret, and gifts that come from hands and heart. Warm watercolor illustrations on every page. Ages 4–8.
