In Dear Toni, Nelson, B.C. author Cyndi Sand-Eveland’s first book, 10-year-old Gene turns a dull school project – keeping a journal for 100 days for a time capsule – into an outlet for self-expression.

Gene’s first few entries take a predictable tone: she’s the new kid at school, her family’s not as wealthy as others, and she resents having to keep a journal because it’s a drag. But her teacher enourages her to dig deeper, and Gene begins to invest herself in her diary and its fictional recipient, “Toni.”

The pages of Dear Toni are lined, like a real diary, and littered with Gene’s doodles. More doodles would have been even better, as they provide Gene with kid-cred, which Sand-Eveland sometimes jeopardizes when, for example, Gene waxes existential about being a “nobody. Hey, in a weird sort of way we have something in common! We’re both nobodies.” Granted, this is fiction, but what 10-year-old writes like that?

There are many thematic threads that run through this story: believing in yourself, having courage in the face of adversity, and dealing with jealousy, among others. But the most powerful theme is that of Gene’s altruism. Given the chance to take on some cuddly St. Bernard pups, Gene instead offers them to a less fortunate friend. Sand-Eveland accomplishes this without letting Gene get cutesy or without bringing in a parent to deliver the moral.

Dear Toni is intended for readers between eight and 11, though older children may not buy Gene as their contemporary due to her chipper, childlike perspective and tone. Also, most Grade 6 students look forward to their adolescence rather than seeking reminders of the many ways in which they remain children. For this reason, Dear Toni may ultimately be most poignant for parents.