Synopses & Reviews
After a falling out between their mothers, 13-year-old best friends Nell and Lydia are forbidden from seeing each other for the whole summer. Nell struggles with the thought of not only losing her best friend, but also losing the only person in whom Nell finds refuge from the difficulties she faces at home. Determined to find a place of their own, Nell and Lydia spend the summer hiding out in an abandoned golf course where Nell and Lydia find mysterious symbols scattered throughout the grounds. As they reveal the secret of the symbols, Nell discovers she isn't the only one seeking haven and begins to uncover what’s really been
hidden all along, finally allowing herself to be truly seen.
Hidden Summer is a quietly beautiful coming of age story about self-discovery, family, and friendship. An elegantly written children’s book debut from an award-winning author in the vein of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and for fans of Moon Over Manifest.
Review
"Set in New Mexico in the early 1980s, Hawkins's children's book debut is rich with details that feel drawn from memory (an engineering professor who worked on his family's orchard as a child, Hawkins also contributes schematic line drawings), and Jackson's narration sparkles. His hard work, setbacks, and motivations make this a highly relatable adventure in entrepreneurship."--Publishers Weekly
Review
Praise for
The Hidden Summer:
“[Gin Phillips] Alabama golf course is a blend of secret garden and Crusoe-esque island, simultaneously giving her protagonists both peace and adventure.” —BCCB
"The girls are sympathetic, credible characters, and readers will enjoy their successful execution of a common childhood fantasy." —Publishers Weekly
“A satisfying psychological journey.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Just about every kid wants a special place all his or her own, so readers will easily warm to Nells story and look hopefully around their own neighborhoods for an equivalent local paradise.” —BCCB
“Readers will be gratified that Nells resolve and courage in ultimately standing up for herself result in a hopeful conclusion.” —School Library Journal
Synopsis
With frostbitten fingers, sleepless nights and sore muscles, 14-year-old Jackson Jones and his posse of cousins discover the lost art of winging it when they take over an orchard of 300 wild apple trees. After Jackson makes an unfair contract with his neighbor, Mrs. Nelson, the kids must learn about pruning, irrigation and pest control if they are to avoid losing $8,000.
With spot illustrations for mechanical-loving readersthe gears of a tractor, a plow with disksand with mathematical calculations of the great amount of money to be earned, this novel has the sort of can-do spirt and sense of earned independence not often found in today's fiction.
Synopsis
When sixteen-year-old Hope and the aunt who has raised her move from Brooklyn to Mulhoney, Wisconsin, to work as waitress and cook in the Welcome Stairways diner, they become involved with the diner owner's political campaign to oust the town's corrupt mayor.
Synopsis
Joan Bauer's beloved Newbery Honor book--now with a great new look for middle grade readers!
When Hope and her aunt move to small-town Wisconsin to take over the local diner, Hope's not sure what to expect. But what they find is that the owner, G.T., isn't quite ready to give up yet--in fact, he's decided to run for mayor against a corrupt candidate. And as Hope starts to make her place at the diner, she also finds herself caught up in G.T.'s campaign--particularly his visions for the future. After all, as G.T. points out, everyone can use a little hope to help get through the tough times . . . even Hope herself.
Filled with heart, charm, and good old-fashioned fun, this is Joan Bauer at her best.
Synopsis
An unusual and captivating novel brimming with a sense of can-do and earned independence. With frostbitten fingers, sleepless nights, and sore muscles, fourteen-year-old Jackson Jones and his posse of cousins discover the lost art of winging it when they take over an orchard of three hundred wild apple trees. They know nothing about pruning or irrigation or pest control, but if they are to avoid losing the $8,000 they owe on an unfair contract with their neighbor, Mrs. Nelson, they just have to figure it out.
About the Author
Aaron Hawkins tended his grandmother's orchard as a child. He writes: "I hoped to create a story that contained some of the things I learned: appreciation for nature and growing something, the self esteem that comes from hard work, and the love for family and friends that comes from struggling together." He still owns the orchard to this day. He lives in Provo, Utah. This is his first novel.