As Elsie Dinsmore grows up and becomes a young woman, her family undergoes major changes. Her father, Horace Dinsmore, falls in love and marries sweet Rose Allison, whom Elsie has loved since childhood. Soon two new membersHorace Jr. and Rosebudjoin the happy family. Elsie spends a summer with her eccentric aunt Wealthy, where she experiences the joy of first love and the deep pain of betrayal. In an attempt to cure her broken heart, Elsies family takes her on a tour of Europe. Upon her returnwhere and when she least expects itElsie discovers the delightful wonder of a true and enduring love.

Martha Finley (1828-1909) was born in Chillicothe, Ohio. She lived a quiet life and began writing, it is believed, during the Civil War when she was bedridden with a back ailment. She wrote twenty-eight books in the Elsie Dinsmore series over a period of thirty-eight years. In addition, she wrote more than fifty other short works and pamphlets, primarily for children, but it was the Elsie Dinsmore series whose popularity persevered over the years.

Marguerite Gavin grew up on the Chesapeake Bay. She holds an M.F.A. in acting and a B.F.A. in theater. An actress working in theater and audiobook narration, she is also artistic director of a youth theater program. She lives in the Washington, D.C., area with her husband and son.