The Mending Summer
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- $3.99
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- $3.99
Publisher Description
Perfect for fans of Orphan Island and Wishtree, The Mending Summer is the next stunning middle grade novel from Ali Standish—author of the Carnegie Medal nominee The Ethan I Was Before and August Isle, Bad Bella, and How to Disappear Completely—about a girl who is struggling to deal with her father’s alcoholism when she discovers an enchanted lake…
Some summers are meant to break your heart. Others to mend it. Every once in a while, a summer rolls around that does both.
For Georgia, this summer is shaping up to be a big disappointment. Mama is busy studying for her biology degree. Daddy is working nights, and often the man who comes home isn’t Daddy. He’s a man who looks like Daddy, but walks a little wobbly. Who sounds like Daddy, but sings a little too loud. Georgia calls him the Shadow Man.
So now, instead of riding horses with her friends at camp, Georgia is sent off to the country to stay with her mysterious great-aunt for the summer to avoid her parents’ fighting.
There, a lonely Georgia meets a mysterious friend named Angela and together, they discover a magical lake—one that can make wishes come true. At first, the lake offers Georgia a thrilling escape from her worries and hope that she can use its magic to heal her family. But as things grow worse at home, a troubled boy appears at the lake and the wishes threaten to spiral out of control . . .
Award-winning author Ali Standish explores the courage it takes to piece your heart back together again when those closest to you break it.
"Standish has created a timeless tale of discovery, growth, and relationships. A powerful story about an important topic." —School Library Journal (starred review)
“Readers will be drawn into this story of friendship, magic, and the heartbreak—and healing—of addiction.” —Kirkus
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
One July morning, white 12-year-old Georgia is informed that she will be spending the summer on her mysterious great-aunt Marigold's farm. Her overburdened mother is studying hard for a biology degree, and her beloved father is becoming the Shadow Man—Georgia's nickname for him when she can " the drink on his breath"—with alarming frequency. At first, only child Georgia is intensely lonely in rural North Carolina with her taciturn aunt, who has secrets of her own. But soon Georgia finds a pristine lake and a hazel-eyed neighbor girl named Angela on its banks. While skipping stones from an island in the lake, the fast friends discover the lake grants wishes, and the duo subsequently enjoy a summer blizzard and other impossible adventures. But the lake isn't infallible, and Georgia realizes that her family needs more than magic to mend her broken heart. Standish (How to Disappear Completely) skillfully portrays the uncertainty and powerlessness of Georgia's home situation; the magic at the heart of this understated tale offers its protagonist escape and healing, as well as the understanding that wishing is insufficient to change difficult circumstances. Ages 8–12. Agents: Sarah Davies and Polly Nolan, Greenhouse Literary.