While Cordelia is the main character, Tobias Walton, a jolly older man, takes center stage at various turns, along with his three bumbling friends, the founders of the Moosepath League. The story kicks off on the Fourth of July and takes place over the course of the summer. Reid and his brother built the house on land that his family has owned since the 1800s. The house looks as if it dates back to those early days, with its low ceiling beams, bookshelf-enclosed rooms and antique furniture. Reid says he knew early on that he wanted to be a writer.
Frequent digressions shed light on the books's many characters.
There's a certain gentleness and wisdom to it. Reid says his boyhood years taught him a lot about writing. In his youth, he read Prince Valiant comics as avidly as Dickens. Reid refined his style further while working at various jobs around Edgecomb. Over the years, he has been a carpet-layer, a hospital orderly and, most recently, a bookstore assistant manager.