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Into the Wind
A character-driven novel about the unlikely friendship between a 10-year-old boy and an elderly woman. The old woman badgers the boy into taking her sailing, but when the weather turns bad, it becomes a wild sail. It becomes the last trip before she goes into the hospital where she dies: but not before the two of them share memories of their last sail together. Hazel helps build the boy's confidence during a tough time in his home life. Both moving and joyful, Into the Wind is a poignant story about loss and love in a boy's life, and the surprising and sustaining bonds that can grow between the old and young.
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192 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 2021
2 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
William Loizeaux
9 books9 followersWilliam (Bill) Loizeaux’s third middle-grade children’s novel Into the Wind is forthcoming in March, 2021. Inspired by a feisty aunt who loved painting and sailing, the book is about an unlikely friendship between a ten-year-old boy and an elderly woman.
Bill is an award-winning author of books for children and adults, as well as stories and essays. His children’s novel Wings received the 2006 ASPCA Henry Bergh Award and was the 2006 Golden Kite Honor Book for Fiction. His memoir Anna: A Daughter’s Life was a New York Times Notable Book, and his novel The Tumble Inn was the grand prize winner at the 2015 New York Book Festival. He has been writer-in-residence at Johns Hopkins and Boston University. He lives with his wife in Washington DC.
Bill is an award-winning author of books for children and adults, as well as stories and essays. His children’s novel Wings received the 2006 ASPCA Henry Bergh Award and was the 2006 Golden Kite Honor Book for Fiction. His memoir Anna: A Daughter’s Life was a New York Times Notable Book, and his novel The Tumble Inn was the grand prize winner at the 2015 New York Book Festival. He has been writer-in-residence at Johns Hopkins and Boston University. He lives with his wife in Washington DC.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 2, 2023
Thank You, One Elm Books, for a copy of this book. Rusty is a soon to be 6th grader, who is going through a tough time, summer school, and his mom not being around, Rusty meets an eccentric senior named Hazel who ends up changing his life. I really liked this book, a really good read.
February 5, 2021
Content warnings:
Advance reading copy provided by the author/publisher
An elegant, elegiac celebration of a short but deeply meaningful relationship between two people who happen to be in just the right place at just the right moment when each desperately needs a friend. Rusty, the book's first person narrator, is having a difficult summer: not only is he stuck every morning in summer school, trying to wrangle a passing math grade so he can start sixth grade with the rest of his class, but he's also having to navigate family tensions over his missing mom, who has been sent to a "place for healing" far away from their New England island home (the adult reader recognizes that mom is struggling with major depression). The only thing that allows Rusty to escape his worries is working on the run-down small sailboat given to him by a sympathetic neighbor ("In my boat there are always things like this that I can do, things I can fix, things I can take care of—unlike some of the other things that I couldn't do anything about [5]). But even his love for his boat becomes fraught when an elderly woman in a wheelchair starts badgering Rusty to take her out for a sail.
Rusty only knows the woman, Hazel, in that way you know someone from seeing them around your neighborhood, and from what other people you know say about them—in Hazel's case, she's the funny old lady with the tiny garage who sells her seascapes to tourists when she's not zipping about town, hanging her shopping from the arm of her wheelchair. But when Rusty next bumps into unconventional Hazel after his best friend has just left for summer camp, and she apologizes and invites him over for lunch, he, surprisingly, accepts; there is "something at once funny, serious, and sad about her that kept me from turning and leaving," he explains, as much to himself as to the reader (29). Then, with the permission of Rusty's father, Hazel offers the boy a part-time job helping her with some light maintenance about the house. But as the two work, and talk about their families (all of Hazel's children have moved far away), and do homework and read, their relationship briefly turns into something more valuable: true friendship.
Some friendships are forever, while others prove more circumscribed. But even if a relationship with a kindred spirit proves as brief as a late-summer sail, the memory of the joy both grant will not be soon forgotten. A tender book for thoughtful, sensitive middle grade readers, those able to pick up on the subtle cues and messages Loizeaux sprinkles throughout his show, not tell, story.
Advance reading copy provided by the author/publisher
An elegant, elegiac celebration of a short but deeply meaningful relationship between two people who happen to be in just the right place at just the right moment when each desperately needs a friend. Rusty, the book's first person narrator, is having a difficult summer: not only is he stuck every morning in summer school, trying to wrangle a passing math grade so he can start sixth grade with the rest of his class, but he's also having to navigate family tensions over his missing mom, who has been sent to a "place for healing" far away from their New England island home (the adult reader recognizes that mom is struggling with major depression). The only thing that allows Rusty to escape his worries is working on the run-down small sailboat given to him by a sympathetic neighbor ("In my boat there are always things like this that I can do, things I can fix, things I can take care of—unlike some of the other things that I couldn't do anything about [5]). But even his love for his boat becomes fraught when an elderly woman in a wheelchair starts badgering Rusty to take her out for a sail.
Rusty only knows the woman, Hazel, in that way you know someone from seeing them around your neighborhood, and from what other people you know say about them—in Hazel's case, she's the funny old lady with the tiny garage who sells her seascapes to tourists when she's not zipping about town, hanging her shopping from the arm of her wheelchair. But when Rusty next bumps into unconventional Hazel after his best friend has just left for summer camp, and she apologizes and invites him over for lunch, he, surprisingly, accepts; there is "something at once funny, serious, and sad about her that kept me from turning and leaving," he explains, as much to himself as to the reader (29). Then, with the permission of Rusty's father, Hazel offers the boy a part-time job helping her with some light maintenance about the house. But as the two work, and talk about their families (all of Hazel's children have moved far away), and do homework and read, their relationship briefly turns into something more valuable: true friendship.
Some friendships are forever, while others prove more circumscribed. But even if a relationship with a kindred spirit proves as brief as a late-summer sail, the memory of the joy both grant will not be soon forgotten. A tender book for thoughtful, sensitive middle grade readers, those able to pick up on the subtle cues and messages Loizeaux sprinkles throughout his show, not tell, story.
October 31, 2020
A friendship between an old woman and a young boy, and their love of sailing.
I have only been sailing once, and I didn't know half the terms used in this book, but the context gives their meaning, and the joy and love for sailing that Rusty and Hazel have, together.
Both are missing something in their lives, that being together gives them. Hazel is there when Rusty needs her, and vice versa.
Enjoyable, with some heart ache thrown in.
Quick read. Good narrative voice.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
I have only been sailing once, and I didn't know half the terms used in this book, but the context gives their meaning, and the joy and love for sailing that Rusty and Hazel have, together.
Both are missing something in their lives, that being together gives them. Hazel is there when Rusty needs her, and vice versa.
Enjoyable, with some heart ache thrown in.
Quick read. Good narrative voice.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.
December 12, 2021
INTO THE WIND is a sweet, wholesome story about a boy's unexpected friendship with a spirited old lady. It teaches some good lessons about learning from the elderly, working hard to achieve a goal, and living life to the fullest. Loizeaux's prose is assured and his colorful descriptions of the island where Rusty lives brings the setting to life. The book is a quick (under 200 pages), life-affirming read.
I'm not sure how much kid appeal this book holds, however. It doesn't have much of a plot and Rusty has no concrete story goal, which leads to an episodic tale that gets predictable and, at times, dull. Without a lot of tension or action to keep things moving forward, it definitely gets a little boring. I'm not sure young readers will stick with it.
If I could, I'd give this book 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.
I'm not sure how much kid appeal this book holds, however. It doesn't have much of a plot and Rusty has no concrete story goal, which leads to an episodic tale that gets predictable and, at times, dull. Without a lot of tension or action to keep things moving forward, it definitely gets a little boring. I'm not sure young readers will stick with it.
If I could, I'd give this book 3 1/2 stars; since I can't, I'm rounding up.
Read
October 11, 2021Occasionally, life throws together two people at just the right time, the perfect companions for life’s challenges. For Rusty and Hazel, this relationship is one of those times. Life also has a way of throwing the right book into the right hands at the right time. I suspect this tender novel will be one of those books for some readers.
Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2021/09/30/into-...
Read our full review here:
https://booktrib.com/2021/09/30/into-...
October 8, 2020
First sentence: “Hey, kid!” a gravelly voice called from behind me. Startled, I turned from bailing the afternoon’s rain out of my sailboat and saw this creepy old lady about fifteen feet away on the dock, not far from where I’d left my bike.
Premise/plot: Rusty, the hero of this middle grade coming of age novel, is struggling with making sense of life. His father is trying--trying hard--but he can't be both mother and father. His sister, Lizzy, is just MEAN AND CRUEL according to Rusty. (It would be interesting to get a less biased opinion of her.) His mother is gone--not forever and ever and ever gone. But gone away to a mental health institution. It's summer and he's in summer school. It seems like nothing is going his way...
But life sometimes gives you what you NEED and not exactly what you want. Enter Hazel. Hazel is a senior citizen with a love for sailing and a messy house. When Rusty first meets Hazel, he's frustrated. Why is she--a practical stranger in a wheel chair--badgering him about taking her out in his boat??? Why is she talking to him at all let alone being so pesky about it????
Yet Hazel and Rusty are destined to be friends--at least for that summer. Perhaps his summer won't be wasted after all...
My thoughts: SADS ALERT. I'm tempted to leave it at that. But I won't. I enjoyed this one for the most part. I won't lie there were times I wanted to intervene and tell Rusty something. But that's a good thing, right? That the character feels real enough that I want to give him a talking to???
I also take it as a good sign that this one is well written since I have absolutely zero interest in sailing and yet I found it super compelling. The chapter where the two finally go sailing together was wonderful.
Premise/plot: Rusty, the hero of this middle grade coming of age novel, is struggling with making sense of life. His father is trying--trying hard--but he can't be both mother and father. His sister, Lizzy, is just MEAN AND CRUEL according to Rusty. (It would be interesting to get a less biased opinion of her.) His mother is gone--not forever and ever and ever gone. But gone away to a mental health institution. It's summer and he's in summer school. It seems like nothing is going his way...
But life sometimes gives you what you NEED and not exactly what you want. Enter Hazel. Hazel is a senior citizen with a love for sailing and a messy house. When Rusty first meets Hazel, he's frustrated. Why is she--a practical stranger in a wheel chair--badgering him about taking her out in his boat??? Why is she talking to him at all let alone being so pesky about it????
Yet Hazel and Rusty are destined to be friends--at least for that summer. Perhaps his summer won't be wasted after all...
My thoughts: SADS ALERT. I'm tempted to leave it at that. But I won't. I enjoyed this one for the most part. I won't lie there were times I wanted to intervene and tell Rusty something. But that's a good thing, right? That the character feels real enough that I want to give him a talking to???
I also take it as a good sign that this one is well written since I have absolutely zero interest in sailing and yet I found it super compelling. The chapter where the two finally go sailing together was wonderful.
April 18, 2023
This is actually a chirp book but Goodreads doesn't show this edition. Short, easy listening. I enjoyed the story and hope someday my grandson will read the book.
March 18, 2021
I am a sucker for American children’s fiction having lived there as a child myself for 3 years. I still have my copy of a Horse Named Summer by Karen Bendick and I loved All -of-a-Family Uptown by Sydney Taylor.
And Into the Wind by William Loizeaux (who was writer-in-residence at university in Boston) does not disappoint.
The story of Rusty and his friendship with senior citizen Hazel draws the reader in, mainly through their joint love of sailing.
Hazel approaches Rusty originally because she wants to go out in his refurbished boat.
He rebuffs her to start with, thinking she is a mad old woman. But slowly he learns more about her and the high point of the book is their trip out together around the bay of an island in what feels like New England.
This new friendship and Rusty’s newly learned skills in sailing are set against the background of his mother having to go away for a while.
I also loved the details of Hazel’s home with all the eccentric bits and pieces and of course her art materials – so different from the current obsession with a boring minimalist home.
Having struggled with math when I was at school in NYC I felt for Rusty having to go to summer camp and catch up. Hazel helps him and he learns the value of money and the value of friendship. This would suit a reader of Young Adult Fiction or Middle Grade Fiction as I think it’s known on the other side of the pond.
Criticisms? Not really. I would have preferred a map of the island instead of the glossary of Nautical Terms but that’s me.
There’s more info about this novel at www.redchairpress.com.
And Into the Wind by William Loizeaux (who was writer-in-residence at university in Boston) does not disappoint.
The story of Rusty and his friendship with senior citizen Hazel draws the reader in, mainly through their joint love of sailing.
Hazel approaches Rusty originally because she wants to go out in his refurbished boat.
He rebuffs her to start with, thinking she is a mad old woman. But slowly he learns more about her and the high point of the book is their trip out together around the bay of an island in what feels like New England.
This new friendship and Rusty’s newly learned skills in sailing are set against the background of his mother having to go away for a while.
I also loved the details of Hazel’s home with all the eccentric bits and pieces and of course her art materials – so different from the current obsession with a boring minimalist home.
Having struggled with math when I was at school in NYC I felt for Rusty having to go to summer camp and catch up. Hazel helps him and he learns the value of money and the value of friendship. This would suit a reader of Young Adult Fiction or Middle Grade Fiction as I think it’s known on the other side of the pond.
Criticisms? Not really. I would have preferred a map of the island instead of the glossary of Nautical Terms but that’s me.
There’s more info about this novel at www.redchairpress.com.
March 30, 2022
Into the Wind by William Loizeaux is a children’s story about how an unlikely friendship develops between a young boy and an older woman in a wheelchair. It takes place during a difficult summer for both on the island where they live. After Rusty’s mother is admitted to an inpatient treatment facility on the mainland for depression, Rusty’s neighbor gives him an old sailboat that he works on repairing and learning how to sail. Hazel is a widow whose family lives far away on the west coast, and she hires Rusty to do odd jobs around the house for her to earn a bit of money. As they spend time together, the two find that they share an unexpected connection.
The author has an engaging writing style that will draw readers into the story. The main character is relatable and believable, with a sometimes humorous point of view. This heartwarming story takes place on an island, and the author’s descriptions of the boats and water paint a vivid picture of the quaint tourist town where Rusty and his family lived. I could easily imagine the smell of the sea and the sound of the seagulls as they flew over the boats tied to the dock as though I was experiencing what Rusty did in the story.
I learned a lot of interesting things about sailing while reading this book, and I liked that various sailing terms were explained organically throughout the story for readers who are not familiar with sailboats. The author also includes a glossary of nautical terms at the end of the book. Watching the friendship between Rusty and Hazel is magical. Two people so different, in different stages of life, can find common ground and connect on a deep emotional level. They are both going through some challenging moments in their lives, and spending time with each other helped them cope.
This memorable book includes illustrations by Laura Jacobsen. They are done in shades of gray, like pencil drawings. They really add to the story as they are sparsely used and added to key moments in the story. My favorite was the image of Rusty pushing Hazel through the park with cards clipped to her wheelchair wheels. The innocence and simplicity of the scene remind readers to hold onto the small moments in life.
Into the Wind is a middle grades level chapter book. This emotional story deals with friendship, compassion, death, and grief. It is a wonderful story to help kids learn about love and loss and about the importance of treasuring the moments you have with people.
The author has an engaging writing style that will draw readers into the story. The main character is relatable and believable, with a sometimes humorous point of view. This heartwarming story takes place on an island, and the author’s descriptions of the boats and water paint a vivid picture of the quaint tourist town where Rusty and his family lived. I could easily imagine the smell of the sea and the sound of the seagulls as they flew over the boats tied to the dock as though I was experiencing what Rusty did in the story.
I learned a lot of interesting things about sailing while reading this book, and I liked that various sailing terms were explained organically throughout the story for readers who are not familiar with sailboats. The author also includes a glossary of nautical terms at the end of the book. Watching the friendship between Rusty and Hazel is magical. Two people so different, in different stages of life, can find common ground and connect on a deep emotional level. They are both going through some challenging moments in their lives, and spending time with each other helped them cope.
This memorable book includes illustrations by Laura Jacobsen. They are done in shades of gray, like pencil drawings. They really add to the story as they are sparsely used and added to key moments in the story. My favorite was the image of Rusty pushing Hazel through the park with cards clipped to her wheelchair wheels. The innocence and simplicity of the scene remind readers to hold onto the small moments in life.
Into the Wind is a middle grades level chapter book. This emotional story deals with friendship, compassion, death, and grief. It is a wonderful story to help kids learn about love and loss and about the importance of treasuring the moments you have with people.
October 24, 2020
Oh my goodness, what a lovely book!
It’s the start of the summer holidays which should mean a great few weeks stretching ahead of him but Rusty’s summer is not turning out like he’d planned. First off, he failed fifth grade which means that he has to attend summer school and secondly, his mom is in a hospital on the mainland. It gradually transpires that she has been suffering from depression and has gone to a clinic for treatment, but how long she will be away for, no-one knows. Struggling with his dad who seems distracted and his bossy older sister, Rusty turns to sailing to fill his time.
While he’s messing about with his boat one day, he meets Hazel, a feisty old lady who is wheelchair bound. She offers to give him a summer job but it’s clear from the beginning that she wants his company more than she wants jobs done around the house and gradually Rusty comes to realise that he needs her too.
This is a simply beautiful story about the relationship between a pre-teen and an old lady and their mutual respect for each other. Hazel shares her wisdom in a very gentle manner and much of what she teaches Rusty is left unsaid. I will admit to shedding a few years near the end, not so much over the events unfolding, but because of the beautiful way it was written. This is a perfect book for exploring what older people have to offer, life and loss. It should be on every class bookshelf.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author but it definitely won’t be the last.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It’s the start of the summer holidays which should mean a great few weeks stretching ahead of him but Rusty’s summer is not turning out like he’d planned. First off, he failed fifth grade which means that he has to attend summer school and secondly, his mom is in a hospital on the mainland. It gradually transpires that she has been suffering from depression and has gone to a clinic for treatment, but how long she will be away for, no-one knows. Struggling with his dad who seems distracted and his bossy older sister, Rusty turns to sailing to fill his time.
While he’s messing about with his boat one day, he meets Hazel, a feisty old lady who is wheelchair bound. She offers to give him a summer job but it’s clear from the beginning that she wants his company more than she wants jobs done around the house and gradually Rusty comes to realise that he needs her too.
This is a simply beautiful story about the relationship between a pre-teen and an old lady and their mutual respect for each other. Hazel shares her wisdom in a very gentle manner and much of what she teaches Rusty is left unsaid. I will admit to shedding a few years near the end, not so much over the events unfolding, but because of the beautiful way it was written. This is a perfect book for exploring what older people have to offer, life and loss. It should be on every class bookshelf.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author but it definitely won’t be the last.
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 2, 2021
Into the Wind, by William Loizeaux is a book you will not want to miss. It tells the story of Rusty, an almost 6th grader who has to go to summer school to catch up on math, and his mother has gone some place that will help her not be so sad anymore. When he’s bailing out his little catboat, an old lady in a wheelchair asks if he will take her sailing. Rusty brushes her off, but a few days later Hazel sees him in town and she asks him if he’d like to come to her house for lunch with watermelon for dessert. Not one to pass on watermelon, Rusty accepts the invitation and soon finds a friend who understands his love of sailing, encourages him in his studies, and helps him rise to the challenge in many areas of his life.
This book is full of heart and fun. I loved learning about sailing terms (definitions included in the back), and the relationship between Rusty and Hazel is so delightful to watch as it develops all the way to the end. William Loizeaux’s writing takes you right along with his relaxed and fun to read style. I highly recommend this book, but have tissues at the ready as you get to the end.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.
This book is full of heart and fun. I loved learning about sailing terms (definitions included in the back), and the relationship between Rusty and Hazel is so delightful to watch as it develops all the way to the end. William Loizeaux’s writing takes you right along with his relaxed and fun to read style. I highly recommend this book, but have tissues at the ready as you get to the end.
Thanks to Net Galley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.
November 13, 2020
A well written novel with an unlikely friendship. I think this is what I loved best about this book.
It reminded me of the friendship that I had with an elderly woman.
She certainty was special.
I loved their respect for each other and the way they were there for one another.
I must say that I learned a lot from this book that is geared towards the young adult in the sail boat scenes. A lot of terms I had never heard of..
In my opinion the cover of this book tells it all and I had to laugh!
Rusty was an awesome kid to be sure. I sure liked him a lot!
I can relate to Rusty in more ways than one. It's why I appreciate this story so much!
I did shed some tears in certain scenes but there were others I truly delighted in.
This story is heartwarming and the characters will leave you thinking about them long after the story is done.
I recommend this book. You'll love the characters as much or more like I did.
My thanks to Netgalley.
I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own
It reminded me of the friendship that I had with an elderly woman.
She certainty was special.
I loved their respect for each other and the way they were there for one another.
I must say that I learned a lot from this book that is geared towards the young adult in the sail boat scenes. A lot of terms I had never heard of..
In my opinion the cover of this book tells it all and I had to laugh!
Rusty was an awesome kid to be sure. I sure liked him a lot!
I can relate to Rusty in more ways than one. It's why I appreciate this story so much!
I did shed some tears in certain scenes but there were others I truly delighted in.
This story is heartwarming and the characters will leave you thinking about them long after the story is done.
I recommend this book. You'll love the characters as much or more like I did.
My thanks to Netgalley.
I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions are my own
February 7, 2021
Breaking my no-star policy to give this gentle, heartwarming story of intergenerational friendship five. It was just lovely. Rusty is relatable as a tween with a couple of outsized problems - the possibility of repeating fifth grade and the absence of his mother due to depression. It doesn't help that his bossy older sister is particularly obnoxious at home. He takes refuge in restoring a sailboat that a neighbor gave him and reading about sailing. He's startled by the request of an elderly, wheelchair-bound art garage owner. She asks him to take her sailing and then persists when he turns her down.
This is slow-paced. introspective and perfect for your readers who like sad but gentle books. Clocking in at 186 pages and containing warm, pencil illustrations, it will also appeal to readers who are still developing stamina. As a land-lubber, I found the sailing descriptions accessible. I'm looking forward to book talking this.
This is slow-paced. introspective and perfect for your readers who like sad but gentle books. Clocking in at 186 pages and containing warm, pencil illustrations, it will also appeal to readers who are still developing stamina. As a land-lubber, I found the sailing descriptions accessible. I'm looking forward to book talking this.
October 21, 2020
Heart warming tale! I love stories like this. Hazel is very insightful of a child in need. Walter is lucky to find an adult interested in caring for him during some difficult family event-his mom is in a mental hospital and his dad is a bit distracted. His sister, Lizzy, was just annoying! Maybe it was just her age... Poor Walter, floundering at school, bullied by older, and seemingly, wealthier boys, no present mom or dad, and hateful sister...Hazel is just what he needs. I loved the chapters involving their sailing!I hope I'm having as much fun as Hazel someday! (She reminds me of Maude from the film Harold and Maude! Feisty and full of life to the very end.)
Wonderful story, even the inevitable end is fitting and good. Good strong story for all ages.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
Wonderful story, even the inevitable end is fitting and good. Good strong story for all ages.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
January 14, 2021
With thanks to NetGalley and Red Chair Press for an early copy in return for an honest review.
A compelling middle grade book with a very unlikely friendship. I am a big fan of books with multigenerational relationships and so I enjoyed watching the friendship develop between Rusty and Hazel. I hope this book inspires young readers to spend time with their grandparents or other older people in their lives, because there is a lot to be learned.
A compelling middle grade book with a very unlikely friendship. I am a big fan of books with multigenerational relationships and so I enjoyed watching the friendship develop between Rusty and Hazel. I hope this book inspires young readers to spend time with their grandparents or other older people in their lives, because there is a lot to be learned.
May 13, 2022
When Rusty's mom has to go to the mainland to go to a special hospital, his dad does his best to hold things together, and his sister does her best to make life miserable. Escape comes in the form of an old boat that Rusty can fix up and learn to sail. Which is how he comes to meet Hazel, the old lady who runs the local art shop ... and who tries to bribe him to take her sailing.
An unlikely friendship that leaves two lives richer.
An unlikely friendship that leaves two lives richer.
November 24, 2020
If you were ever looking for a book for middle graders that will absolutely capture their attention without resorting to magic, or science fiction, or super powers, this is it. A delightful read full of many subtle life lessons for youngsters in transition. Fully deserving of 5 stars. A must read.
March 1, 2021
Link to the book talk: https://youtu.be/U3GavOK-zGk
This is a beautiful story of an unexpected friendship between an old lady, Hazel, and a young boy, Rusty. A friendship that is healing and very much needed by both Hazel and Rusty. The story touched my heart deeply and teared me up towards the end.
This is a beautiful story of an unexpected friendship between an old lady, Hazel, and a young boy, Rusty. A friendship that is healing and very much needed by both Hazel and Rusty. The story touched my heart deeply and teared me up towards the end.
July 4, 2021
I love finding books about kids participating in unique sports. I learned a lot about sailing. This is a quick read that I was able to finish in one day. I was Geary from the climax to the end of the book. This was a satisfying book to read and one of the most entertaining books I’ve read this year.
May 9, 2023
A summer project to stay busy after his mom goes away for mental health treatment leads to an unlikely friendship between Rusty and local artist, Hazel, who also loves sailing. Short and bittersweet, full of beautiful moments, fearless to show difficult things for what they are.
February 23, 2021
Surprisingly good story about a most unlikely friendship. A story about generations not usually covered in middle grade novels. Should be in every library/school and public.
August 22, 2022
Loved this so much!
July 25, 2023
Great for young readers and their parents or better yet their grandparents!
May 16, 2021
Learn new skills, such as sailing, step by step, make a new friend, and help those who are less able. Oh, and survive a summer with only one of your parents around, and become bigger and braver than you ever knew you could be.
Sail Into the Wind with a boy and his senior artist friend, learn that some adults get depression, and some kids react by becoming twice as bossy.
This illustrated book is a great read for young people from eight up to mid teens, and will remind adults of their youth, even if they didn't live on an island. The final message - live today because you won't be fit forever - is a poignant and strong one for us.
I read this e-ARC from Net Galley and Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.
Sail Into the Wind with a boy and his senior artist friend, learn that some adults get depression, and some kids react by becoming twice as bossy.
This illustrated book is a great read for young people from eight up to mid teens, and will remind adults of their youth, even if they didn't live on an island. The final message - live today because you won't be fit forever - is a poignant and strong one for us.
I read this e-ARC from Net Galley and Fresh Fiction. This is an unbiased review.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews