Sundance

Some losses leave you without words.

Sometimes, kindness helps you find your voice.

Twelve-year-old Malachi often feels isolated. His stutter makes words hard to form and friendships hard to begin, leaving him most at ease with his loyal dog, Sunny—who understands him without words. When Sunny is gone, Mal is left alone with a grief he doesn't know how to express.

Overwhelmed with sorrow, Mal wanders alone, unsure where he's headed. Hearing a horse's whinnies nearby, he follows the sound to a pasture, where he discovers a pregnant mare confined without food or water. Convinced Sunny has somehow led him to her, Mal commits to keeping the horse safe until her foal is born.

When Mal trusts a classmate with his secret, he takes a risk that feels far more dangerous than speaking out loud. But as a cautious friendship begins to grow, caring for the mare and her newborn foal helps Mal find the courage to speak up when it matters and stand firm for what he knows is right.

Sundance is a tender middle-grade novella about grief, friendship, and finding your voice—even when words don't come easily.