Read this book just under the wire for #middlegrademarch and what a lovely one at that! It’s especially cool that it’s a bookstagram buddy who published her first novel!
Thank you so much Laura aka @laura_at_the_library for thinking of me and sending a copy my way. I can no longer get my kids to read what I tell them to, but *I* loved following Clare’s coming of age journey.
After witnessing the death of her beloved grandfather, she must spend the whole summer at his cabin, to put it on the market and spread his ashes at the lake. Despite going every summer for two weeks, Clare is not looking forward to having to spend the entire summer away from swim team and friends while in the company of her bickering mother and grandmother.
I love the ‘bummer summer’ trope in kids books, and despite the heavy themes on grief, the tone is one that is perfectly balanced with the seriousness called for, as well as buoyant hopefulness. It was especially poignant to me as someone who grew up in the Chicago suburbs, on the swim team, with a single mom, and family up in Wisconsin.❤️
Definitely put this in the hands of the MG reader in your life, particularly if they enjoy realistic fiction and friendship stories!