The Jewelry Tree

Growing up in the 1960s was memorable, but even more so if you belonged to a family that grew its own backyard jewelry tree. Yes, you read that right. A tree made of jewelry.

Money doesn't grow on trees, but on 13 Madison Road, jewelry does. Set in the sticky summer of 1969, The Jewelry Tree follows a young girl and her imaginative older brother, who turns their backyard tree into a magical source of shimmering treasures for the whole neighborhood by decorating it with their mother's costume jewelry.

Inspired by a true, tender memory, The Jewelry Tree recalls the charm of a screen-free childhood where purple ice cream trucks played carousel music, vinyl records cost seventy-five cents, and neighborhood friendships ruled small-town afternoons. Told through the wonder of its curious and playful narrator, this story celebrates the joy of play, the power of imagination, and the special sparkle that childhood holds.

Sandra Mercer was born and raised in Northboro, Massachusetts. Her career as an elementary educator has provided her with many wonderful opportunities to expose children to various genres and storybooks. When presented with the task of teaching students how to craft ideas for memoir writing, the idea of writing her own memoir began to take shape in her imagination. The Jewelry Tree, her first children's book, developed out of her memories from growing up in Northboro in the late 1960s and early '70s. Sandra holds a master's degree in reading and elementary education and enjoys online studies and coursework in classical literature. When she isn't hiking the wooded trails near her home in North Carolina with her two adventurous grandchildren, Sandra can almost always be found browsing her favorite bookstores or working in her garden.