Twelve-year-old Little John is clearing brush for Mr. King, the wealthy owner of a chain of local dollar stores, when he finds a young girl perched in the branches of a tall sycamore tree. The girl, Gayle, is being fostered by a spiteful family, and she and Little John quickly become friends. But then Mr. King offers Little John an impossible choice, and either outcome puts Gayle's or Little John's family's future in jeopardy. Inspired by a Hans Christian Andersen story, Nightingale's Nest is an unforgettable novel about a boy with the weight of the world on his shoulders and a girl with the gift of healing in her voice.