The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels... lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when her13 -year-old brother Sam drowned, and everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, leaving her without support in her own grief, and even her friends have fallen away, leaving Leah adrift and alone.
Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There's something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost. Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find. But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
"Snyder tackles heavy topics (death and grief, abuse and homelessness) straightforwardly in this coming-of-age story. Her adept characterization of Jasper, whose hope and sincerity are palpable, offers buoyancy, and the joyful, almost ethereal friendship the two girls form is refreshingly and intensely honest. Snyder maintains a languid, unhurried pace that evokes the lazy days of summer and crescendos in a meaningful, bittersweet ending. A candid story about two teens who find solace and strength in each other." — Publishers Weekly
Recommended Age | 10 - 13 |
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Author | Laurel Snyder |
ISBN | 0062836625 |
Publication Date | Sep 3, 2019 |
Publisher | Walden Pond Press |
Language | English |