The Path Through the Trees

by Peggy Dymond Leavey

Thirteen-year-old Norah Bingham and her mother plan to spend Christmas in the country with Caroline Stoppard, Norah's great-aunt. When her mother is called away on business, Norah goes on her own to stay with the aunt, someone she has never even met. From the start, the woman makes it plain that she does not welcome Norah’s company, nor that of Norah's cousins, Andrew and Becca, who arrive two days later. The isolated Stoppard mansion is as dismal as the Ontario winter. But the cousins soon discover there are puzzles to solve. Great-aunt Caroline has many secrets. Among them is the identity of the boy Norah sees in the backyard. Who is he? And why is he watching the house?

136 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Peggy was the second of five children in a family where the favourite gift at Christmas and birthdays was always a book. Born in Toronto, Peggy spent her growing up years moving from place to place, due to her father’s frequent RCAF postings.
Early in life, Peggy discovered a love of writing, and cver the years she'd been submitting stories for publication with little success. But in 1976, with her youngest child starting school, she enrolled in a creative writing course. Since then, she has contributed to several books of local history, has published short stories, poems and plays for children, as well as numerous articles for newspapers and magazines.
She is the author of nine novels for young readers, a book of non-fiction for adults and three biographies of famous Canadian women.
In 2000, Peggy’s third children's book, “Sky Lake Summer”, was nominated for the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award, the Silver Birch Award, the Canadian Library Association’s Book of the Year for Children Award, and the CNIB’s audio tape version of “Sky Lake Summer” was nominated for a Tiny Torgi Award.
Her book “The Deep End Gang” was nominated in 2004 for an Arthur Ellis Crime Writers’ Award (juvenile fiction) and the Silver Birch Award, where it was voted an Honour Book and Finalist. Scholastic Canada recently bought reprint rights to the novel as part of their Grade 4-6 reading package.
Peggy’s sixth book, “The Path through the Trees,” was nominated for the 2007 Silver Birch Award and the 2007 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award.
Her biography of Laura Secord was shortlisted for the 2013 Speaker's Book Award. Her latest biography, "Molly Brant, Mohawk Loyalist & Diplomat" is due to be released by Dundurn Press in April, 2015.
Peggy and her husband have three adult children and eight grandchildren. Peggy is now retired, after working many years as a librarian. She now spends much of her day writing.

Reviews

[Raj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, The Path Through the Trees' by Peggy Dymond Leavey is seriously amazing! It's like taking a cozy trip to the countryside with Annie and her animal friends. Leavey's writing is just perfect for a feel-good, heartwarming read.

[Sam - Spines in a Line · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book caught my interest right away. Norah's aunt is hiding some kind of secret and we have the duration of the story to figure it out. The story is told from two different perspectives so we get to meet two characters more intimately. I read this as a MYRCA book in middle school.