The Summer of Letting Go
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
Summer has begun, the beach is calling . . .
. . . but Francesca Schnell is going nowhere. Four years ago, Francesca’s little brother, Simon, drowned when she should have been watching. Now she is about to turn sixteen, but guilt keeps her stuck in the past. Meanwhile, her best friend is moving on—with the boy Francesca secretly wants—and her father may be having an affair. Then Francesca begins babysitting Frankie Sky, a four-year-old who bears an almost eerie resemblance to Simon. She even wonders if Frankie could be Simon’s reincarnation. Their surprising friendship helps Francesca think she might begin to forgive herself, grow up, and even fall in love, whether or not she solves the riddle of Frankie Sky.
“Resonates with real feeling.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Haunting, heart-lifting, and impossible to put down.” —A. S. King, author of Please Ignore Vera Dietz
“A beautiful story of heartbreak and hope.” —Daisy Whitney, author of The Mockingbirds
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Francesca Schnell goes by Frankie and has avoided the water ever since her brother drowned four years ago. But odd things are happening this summer: she thinks her father's having an affair; she has a guilty crush on her best friend's new boyfriend; and she's hired to look after a rambunctious four-year-old, also named Frankie, who loves the water. Not only does Frankie look like Francesca's brother, he also was born right around the time of his death, and she can't help wondering if the two events are somehow linked. It makes sense that a grieving Francesca would be sensitive to signs and portents, but Polisner (The Pull of Gravity) overemphasizes the coincidences, adding a distracting layer to an already plot-heavy book. No device is necessary to explain the bond between the two Frankies, and the mysticism risks overshadowing the real story: nearly-16-year-old Francesca's reentry into a wider life and the way it builds to a confrontation with the withdrawn but overprotective mother who seems to blame Francesca for her brother's death. Ages 12 up.
