The Blue Glass Candy Jar

In 1927, when seven-year-old TJ Gallagher wins a blue glass candy jar at the county fair, he does not realize that this seemingly small event is destined to change his life forever. The Gallagher family moves from Alabama to central Florida, with all their possessions crammed into a Model-A Ford truck, but instead of a land of endless beaches, TJ learns about "strawberry schools," where rural children attend classes all summer in order to help their families with winter crops. To make matters worse, a pig-tailed prodigy named Peggy Sue pops up like a pesky mosquito at each of TJ's worst moments. Throughout the Great Depression, TJ's mother, Amelia, with limited tangible resources, inspires her husband and children to reach for and attain goals that many would view as impossible. At the end of World War II, when TJ returns after serving his country in the South Pacific, will he be able discover the author of the pretty, scented letters that have inspired him for the last two years? As a returning Navy veteran, will TJ's determination to finish his studies at the University of Florida ruin his chance for romance with the girl who has stolen his heart? What will finally become of the blue glass candy jar?