Illustrations go along with the entries.Īs she draws, Eliza also learns about the specimens she is given, and a handy guide at the font of the book helps readers keep the geologic timeline straight. As the name implies, it’s written as though Eliza is making entries in her journal, so we see the story unfold as she recaps her days. What she discovers is something wholly unexpected.Įliza’s Journal, written by Caelyn AB Williams and illustrated by Kati Green is part romance, part mystery and part travel promotion for the San Juan Islands. But as weird happenings multiply, she sets out to solve the mystery of what the Tanners are actually up to. Tanner’s house, at first she ignores it because she likes being around his grandson, Charlie. Tanner, who puts her drawing skills to use illustrating the fossils and other natural history items he owns.Īlthough Liza thinks there is something strange going on at Mr. She ends up working for the eccentric Mr. Her dreams of a lazy summer among the fir trees vanishes when her uncle insists she find a job. Her parents are working in Florida, and her aunt and uncle live on Orcas Island, a beautiful place that Eliza takes to right away.

When Eliza leaves California for Washington state’s San Juan Islands for the summer, she’s not sure what to expect. As the romance between Eliza and Charlie grows, Eliza begins to unlock the details of a family secret. Guided by curiosity and an uncanny sense that something is very different about the Tanner family, Eliza begins to snoop around for information. The summer progresses and a friendship develops, while Eliza finds herself illustrating peculiar finds from the chronicles of geologic time.

Orville Tanner is strange and gruff and Eliza considers turning the job down, until she meets Charlie, Orville's handsome grandson. She documents her time on the island by writing and drawing in her journal, which is the format of the novel itself. Eliza uses her talent as an artist and applies to be a natural history illustrator for the local eccentric Orville Tanner. What she imagines to be a fun-in-the-sun vacation quickly turns into a season of assuming responsibility as she is forced by her uncle to get a summer job. Eliza Walcott has been sent by her parents to live with her aunt and uncle for the summer on the small community of Orcas Island off the mainland of Washington State.

Eliza's Journal by Caelyn A.B. Williams