"Zombies and their controlling bokors, the charms and protective spells of voodoo, and the occult all mix in with every day life for your penpal in New Orleans. Your life in sleepy Maine is much different, and you love your penpal's spine-tingling tales. A new girl shows up at your school who reminds you of your penpal. You haven't received a letter since Hurricane Katrina. Is this your penpal? She looks changed. Watch out, because zombies want one...

In 1935, ten-year-old Alex Maki of Bainbridge Island, Washington, is horrified to discover that his new pen pal, Charlie Levy of Paris, France, is a girl, but in spite of his initial reluctance, their letters continue over the years and they fight for their friendship even as Charlie endures the Nazi occupation and Alex leaves his family in an internment camp and joins the Army.

Pen pals Molly and Olive consider themselves best friends even though they have never actually met because Molly lives in New York City and Olive lives on a farm in Iowa--but when Olive finds a diamond bracelet in the grass the two girls start to wonder if they can finally get the money for one of them to visit the other.