The Mending Summer

by Ali Standish

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.

Genres: Middle Grade, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Realistic Fiction, Family, Childrens, Juvenile

1 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2021

About the author

Ali Standish, author of the critically acclaimed The Ethan I Was Before, split her time growing up between North Carolina and several imaginary worlds. The only award she ever won in school was for messiest desk, but that didn’t stop her from going on to get degrees from Pomona College, Hollins University and and the University of Cambridge. She still spends most of her time in her imagination, but you might just spot her walking her two rescue dogs with her Finnish husband around her neighborhood in Raleigh. You can visit her online at www.alistandish.com.

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Georgia goes exploring and discovers a magic lake and a new friend -- a summer sister. Ali Standish uses magical realism to show a young girl working through the heartache of a father with alcoholism. Georgia's mother has gone back to school to get her degree. Great Aunt Marigold has a house out in the country and is the perfect place for Georgia to spend the weeks during the summer. While there, her daddy's drinking gets worse and the 'Shadow Man' is taking his place. Georgia's heart is breaking, but can she be part of the mending? The magic of the lake is just what she needs to grow and learn about dealing with the life experiences that make you want to run away. When a crisis occurs at Aunt Marigold's, Georgia has to make an important decision. I loved this one as much as I did How to Disappear Completely. Both books have the magical realism we love about Bridge to Terabithia with happier outcomes.

Thank you to HarperCollins and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Renee Godding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to extend a PSA to middle-grade readers of all ages:
PLEASE STOP SLEEPING ON ALI STANDISH

From the first book I read by her, up until her newest release The Mending Summer, Ali Standish has solidified her place as my favourite current middle-grade author. Time and time again she delivers hardhitting and heartwarming stories, unafraid to incorporate important topics into them.
Children and adults alike deserve to see themselves reflected in books, even if their lives aren't as unconcerned as that of your typical whimsical adventure plot. Often middle-grade shies away from those stories, or uses them as sentimental tearjerkers in the background. Ali Standish' stories are different, striking the perfect balance between optimism, realism and a warm understanding that can only come from a place of knowing and remembering what these kind of experiences were like as a child.
I wish these books were around when I was a child, but I will gladly take all of them as an adult retroactively as well.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and publisher for a link to this eARC.

Georgia’s family is struggling since The Shadow Man came to stay. That’s what she calls her dad when he’s been drinking, and he doesn’t sound or act like the person she adores. Her mom returned to school to get her degree in biology, so there wasn’t money to send Georgia to summer camp. But when The Shadow Man goes too far one day, Georgia is sent to Great Aunt Marigold’s place in the country during the summer weekdays while her mom is busy with school. Georgia isn’t excited about living in a quiet house with no TV where there’s nothing to do until she meets a new friend while out exploring the woods. Georgia and Angela quickly become summer sisters and discover the magical lake where they meet is separate from the world they live in. Some wishes can come true in this special place, and Georgia wishes for her family to be like it used to be. But the more complicated things get at home, the more Georgia sees that it’s important to be careful what you wish for.

I thought the author dealt with the topic of alcoholism very well. Georgia adored her dad and turned him into The Shadow Man to deal with her conflicting feelings about him. Her relationship with her mom becomes closer as the story progresses, and I love the way she connects to Aunt Marigold and helps her come to terms with her past. I enjoyed seeing Georgia appreciate the country lifestyle and help out with chores. The magic of the island and the kid’s reactions to it was a unique element to the story, and it gave Georgia important perspective on her life.

I would recommend this book for strong readers in Gr. 5-7 who enjoy realistic fiction with a touch of magic. I’m not personally a fan of these types of stories, and the length of 368 pages will keep me from purchasing it for my collection unless a patron asks for it.

[Miya (severe pain struggles, slower at the moment) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an important story to get out there. Although it is a heavy topic it isn’t one to shy away from with children since so many have similar experiences. I am glad this was written the way it was. It should be a read in school to open conversations. Beautiful and magical, yet heartbreaking at the same time. The innocence and imagination is gorgeous. All around a lovely and powerful story.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Wendy MacKnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is heartbreaking, affirming and loving all at once. Georgia’s story of the impact of her father’s alcoholism, is true, painful, and touching. Toss in some magic and hope, coupled with reality, and you have a brilliant story.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sent away to live in the country with her great aunt while her parents deal with her father's excessive drinking, Georgia discovers a magic lake and a friend named Angela. This is such an important book about a family falling apart because of alcoholism, a mother who has returned to school, and a daughter who feels abandoned.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

This took me way too long to finish. In an attempt to make my way through my never ending TBR list I went through it and wrote down a list of titles that had words that pertain to summer and read them this summer. I covered several genres with this method. This was one of the first I started, but I was listening to the audiobook. It's not a bad story, but it was never the book I wanted to pick up and listen to or read. I can't quite put my finger on why I wasn't a fan of it. I also don't enjoy rating this book. On the one hand I hate to give it 2 stars because I didn't dislike the book, but I also can't really say I like it. I was hovering over the stars and saw 2 stars does say "it was ok" which is how I feel about this book. I'm just not sure it's in the same camp as other books I've given 2 stars, but yet 3 seems too much.

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another mesmerizing book by Ali Standish. I was actually aching for Georgia as she described her dad's alcohol abuse while constantly wishing and hoping things would return to normal. Like the title says, this story featured Georgia coming to terms with her dad's sickness while spending the summer with her great aunt. Thank you Edelweiss for the ARC.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georgia's daddy is not who he used to be. Alcohol has turned him into the Shadow Man. Georgia escapes to her great-aunt's house for a summer in the country and discovers an enchanted lake. Can it make her biggest wish come true?

[Akshaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved it, it was a great book!

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This middle grade novel is a 3.5 for me, and I'd appreciate its honesty and the storyline even without the magical components. This summer has not shaped up the way Georgia Collins expected it to. Her mother is busy studying for her college classes, and her father's drinking has grown worse and worse with her parents fighting more frequently and her father becoming almost unrecognizable. To shield Georgia from the truth, her mother arranges for her daughter to spend the weekdays with Aunt Marigold on her farm and the weekends back home. Georgia isn't thrilled with the arrangement, especially since Aunt Marigold is a bit taciturn and seems to have secrets of her own. Georgia's exploration of the area leads her to a magical lake and a new friend. She and Angela spend many happy hours there and find that some of their wishes are granted. But the one closest to Georgia's heart, the one about her beloved father, does not come true. In fact, he seems to be getting worse and harder to reach. Georgia is increasingly drawn to this world where she is joined by Angela and by Cole, another youngster living in the area. But the adventures the youngsters are having are increasingly fraught with danger. Eventually Georgia realizes the truth about her new friends as well as the truth about her father. She writes a letter to him in which she expresses her love and forgiveness for him and her belief that he can change and that when he does, she will be waiting for him. The author's decision to leave the fate of Georgia's father unresolved while she and her mother and Marigold resume their lives may frustrate readers who long for a happy ending or resolution, but as anyone who has lived with an alcoholic knows, the journey to recovery is not smooth or without potholes and detours and ultimately, the person who is in a relationship with the alcoholic cannot be responsible for that individual's actions or recovery. There are so many lines in this book that stood out and seemed very true to life; for instance, "How could she love the man who had put cracks in her heart? Who had made her want to turn her back on the world to protect it from getting hurt again?" (p. 334), and yet somehow, Georgia finds it within herself to forgive and love again. There will be many readers who see their own life experiences in this particular story and the summer that brought the possibility of mending and healing to the book's characters.

[Magdalena · Rating 5 out of 5]

The following is from the review I posted on my personal blog:

Twelve-year-old Georgia figures that “some summers are meant to break your heart,” and this is clearly one of them. Instead of going to camp, she is spending the summer at her great aunt Marigold’s country home, largely due to her beloved father’s descent into alcoholism. But Georgia finds that she enjoys the change in scenery, especially after she befriends a girl named Angela and they discover a magical lake that can grant wishes. Unfortunately, as they soon discover, the lake can only grant wishes in that specific location; it can’t fix Georgia’s family back home. It does give them several exciting adventures before the fun is spoiled by Cole, a boy who is staying with Angela and has been spying on Georgia. Angela tells Georgia that Cole is “trouble” but won’t give details. To Georgia’s surprise, she actually likes talking to Cole. While Angela is optimistic and full of naive advice, Cole’s attitude is bleak but sympathetic. Meanwhile, Georgia slowly learns about Aunt Marigold’s past and discovers that her great aunt understands exactly what she’s going through.

As in Standish’s previous books, this novel discusses sad but realistic topics through the eyes of an introspective protagonist in a beautifully atmospheric setting. Towards the end, some of the life lessons about friendship, familial loyalty, and real-life wishes come across as being somewhat pedantic, but overall, this is an interesting and suspenseful book that skillfully uses fantastical concepts to explore real-life issues. Recommended for summer vacation reading material.

[Amy Sharony · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mending Summer isn’t a perfect book, but it’s a really good one: When Georgia goes to spend the summer at Aunt Marigold's so her mom can finish her degree, she is both relieved and annoyed. Annoyed because being stuck in the middle of nowhere with an aunt she hardly knows is definitely not going to be as much fun as her beloved summer camp. Relieved because things at home have gotten weird with her dad, who is sometimes the wonderful, loving father she has always known and sometimes “The Shadow Man” who is the opposite of the wonderful, loving father she has always known. When Georgia meets Angela in the woods, they vow to be “summer sisters” and discover a magic lake that seems like it can grant their wishes.

Realistic middle grades books often try to wrap up loose ends and “solve the problem,” but I liked that this book treated Georgia’s father’s alcoholism as a problem that she couldn’t solve: not by being the best daughter and not by wishing for a happy ending. The magic in this book is similarly unspectacular — it’s more about learning to see the world (including yourself) in different ways than it is about some big epic wish-come-true. These two things could leave you feeling like this is a ho-hum book, but it’s absolutely not — it’s a tender, nuanced portrait of finding that balance between hope and clear-eyedness that we need in all of our close relationships. Recommended.

[Katie Reilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author and publisher for an early copy for #bookexpedition to read and review.

“Some summers are just meant to break your heart.” Georgia recalls hearing those words spoken by camp counselors over love lost from a boy, but for Georgia, her heartbreak comes from her family.

Mama is busy studying for her biology degree. Daddy is working nights as a pianist, and when he comes home, he looks like Daddy but walks a little wobbly. He sounds like Daddy, but sings a bit too loud. Georgia calls him The Shadow Man, the person who Daddy turns in to when he drinks.

Georgia is sent to spend the summer in the country with her great aunt Marigold. There she meets a girl her age named Angela, and the two quickly become summer sisters. Together they discover a magical lake, one that can grant wishes. The lake offers Georgia a place to escape from her family’s troubles and the hope that her wishes can be magical enough to mend her family.

As things at home seem to worsen, Georgia’s wishes spiral out of control. Is wishing enough to mend Georgia’s broken heart?

With a sensitive hand that addresses the disease of alcoholism in parents, Ali Standish has written a magical realism story about family, friendship, and the courage it takes to piece your heart back together.

Publishing in May 2021. Preorder now!

[Cassie Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be very enchanting as I experienced this magical island that Georgia had discovered. As Georgia embarks on a summer spent with her great aunt in the country, during a time where her mother needed to spend her time focusing on her studies as well as keeping Georgia away from a father dealing with alcoholism, Georgia learns so much about things/people that are out of our control. Addiction is a disease that is not focused on as much as I feel like it should be in middle grade novels. Between 5th through 8th grade, students are experiencing more and more that we as adults should not be placing on kids. I know magical realism is not necessarily a genre that most people enjoy, But I found for the point of the story the magical elements brought the plot together. A big reason I give this 4 stars is due to the length. Middle grade strident struggle with over 300 pages. Overall though, it’s definitely going to be a book I purchase for my middle school classroom library for how Georgia and her Mother’s lives are altered by her Father’s drinking. I think reading the child’s perspective and the mothers perspective is a great opportunity for students who are experiencing the same life as Georgia.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! I picked this up on a whim and I'm so glad I did! This is the story of a young girl named Georgia. We spend one summer with her while she goes to stay with her great aunt, wanders into a Forrest, finds a magical lake and meets a new friend, who may or may not be real. This all takes place in the midst of her father's alcoholic benders, her mother's struggle to keep her daughter protected when she is not good at connecting with Georgia, and the constant worries Georgia is processing about everything at home. I loved the use of magical realism mixed with the intriguing unknown parts of the story, then blended with the power of a child's point of view. This was beautiful and hear breaking but never once did the author pander or lessen the tone of the messages simply because of the narrators age. So often kids are not perceived as having real thoughts and feelings and understanding of these adult situations. I also LOVED the authors note written to children reading this book at the end. Seriously beautiful!!!

[Molly Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi, I am Molly and I am so happy you are going to listen to my book talk about The Mending Summer by Ali Standish.This is one of my favorite books ever, and I hope I convince you to check it out. Let’s get started.

Imagine the ability to wish for anything at your fingertips. Access to all of the candy in the world, being able to teleport, or even a trip to a place far far away. This is the story of Georgia in the summer that changed her life.

Georgia is in a tough spot. Her mom is trying to get a degree, and her dad comes home as ‘The Shadow Man,’ a different person with a sway in his step and a bad taste in his mouth. Life at home is not fun and happy like it used to be. When she was her daddy’s whole world. She went to summer camp last year, but can’t this year for reasons not spoken of. She is sent to her aunt’s house during the week to somehow get a break from her home life.

As she is exploring, she finds a friend, and they discover this mysterious lake. As she discovers it more, she realizes that it can grant her wishes. Not just any. But the impossible. Georgia wonders, Can it really change everything? She just wants her dad to not come home different, and everything to go back the way it was. When she was really loved.

But does she realy want to? The lake can make her travel to places miles away and make things impossible come true. She could leave it all the tragedy of home behind with a flick of her finger. As the story unfolds, Georgia realizes you can’t change things with a wish. She has no one to lean onto and feels lost. But a new kid shows her she can run away from it all.

Will she stay? Will the shadow man return? Will her family be normal again? You have to find out by reading The Mending Summer for yourself.

I loved this book because it tells a story in the perspective of someone going through a struggle in real life. Her father having alcohol addiction taught me a lot and how strong people can be. I am sure this book will give you new perspective and teach you something you never knew. I hope you liked this book talk and make sure to read The Mending Summer.

[Jessica Vitalis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story is a must-read for anyone whose life has ever been impacted by addiction. Georgia is used to spending her summers at camp, but when her mother decides to go back to school, money is tight. She'd prepared herself for several weeks at home, but when her father's breath starts reeking of alcohol and he turns into the Shadow Man, her mother ships her off to stay with a great-aunt she hardly knows. At first, the two have little in common, but as the summer stretches on, they forge a precious bond strengthened by their join love of pottery. As Georgia explores her new surroundings, she encounters a pond, and two children, that seem too good to be true but prove to be exactly what Georgia needs to get through the summer. I absolutely love contemporary stories with magical elements, and this one is stunning--the realistic characters and magical elements will draw in readers of all ages!

[Michelle Ule · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a challenging Middle Grade book, told from the point of view of a 12 or so year old girl whose father is an alcoholic.

It describes her emotions and confusion as her beloved father changes into "the Shadow man," when he comes home, drunk, late at night. Her mother, desperately studying for a college degree, tries to shield her and one summer sends her to her father's aunt who lives alone on a farm in the country and hour away.

There, Georgia finds a magical lake with two unusual playmates. They experience a series of magical adventures until Georgia learns an important truth about her father's disease.

It was hard for me to read, and I was in tears at the end. I don't know why it's a Middle Grade book--though it has important truths. Perhaps YA would be a better category?

Anyway, it's very helpful for children understanding their father's addiction is not their responsibility to fix, or to take personally.

That's really important.

[Lorie Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher for sharing an advanced copy of The Mending Summer with my reading group.

I read this MG novel in one sitting.

Personally, I was deeply moved, having a similar background as Georgia. I cried throughout. This is me as an adult.

For middle-graders, I think the topic of alcoholism, its effect on families, and its hereditary component, is a topic that is deserving of exploration. I knew my dad was an alcoholic at 8 years old, even if I didn’t know the world for it. I had that spiky black knot that Georgia describes in my stomach for years and years. I would have devoured this book even at 10 years old, and I would have felt less alone.

A few sections felt a bit repetitive or long-in-the-tooth, but both the magical realism aspect and the HOPE embed throughout are elements to which upper-MG &MS readers will be drawn.

[Patti Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book will test all your emotions! It is heartbreaking and at the same time is so sweet and encouraging. The opening line sets the tone..."Some summers are just meant to break your heart!" Georgia is sent to stay with her great-aunt in the country while her mother is working to finish her degree in biology and her father is struggling with alcoholism. Aunt Marigold's farm is exactly where Georgia needs to be this summer but not exactly where she wants to be..at least not at first. When she find a lake in the woods with magical properties behind her aunt's farm and meets a mysterious new friend, Georgia starts to realize she is responsible for everyone else's happiness...and maybe normal does not look like what she thought it would. Ali Standish is an amazing storyteller. There are so many elements of this book that students and adults alike will relate to.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georgia’s summer is filled with heartbreak, but she also finds magic and hope as she navigates her father’s alcoholism. Heartfelt story about addiction that I think is needed in school libraries.
"Some summers are just meant to break your heart."
Georgia has two loving parents, and yet, she is sent to stay with her great aunt in the country due to her father's heavy drinking. The Mending Summer explores the difficulty Daddy's alcoholism creates for Georgia and for her mother, and I appreciate that this book does not provide easy answers. Georgia's summer journey contains magic and hope, and also guides her to grow in how to handle the difficulties life throws her way. Thank you for sharing an ARC with #bookposse.

[Allison (Azyrre) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Goodreads and the author for sending me an ARC from a giveaway.

I really enjoyed this book. It's simple enough for an older child or preteen to understand and is appropriate, while dealing with some heavy, difficult topics. I think the author did a great job not only explaining alcoholism but so many thoughts and feelings that start coming into someone's life as they get older, and about the nature of life itself.

The setting is largely small town/rural and summery (my favorite for cozy summer reads). The characters are well-developed and complex. And the author doesn't talk down to the reader or over-simplify, which too often happens in literature for younger readers.

I liked this book very much and was glad for the chance to read it and to have a copy of my own.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

“... one day she woke up and realized all the normal had disappeared, and she couldn’t think when it had gone for how she’d failed to notice it slip away.”

Georgia has seen things between her parents that she wishes she could forget. That’s when the Shadow Man enters her life. The Shadow Man looked like Daddy but walked a bit wobbly, talked too loud and smelled sour.” Her mother doesn’t want Georgia to be around this version of her daddy, so she decides that Georgia should stay with Aunt Marigold for the summer.

Aunt Marigold lives in the country and, at first, Georgia isn’t too crazy about staying with her. But one day, Georgia wanders into the woods and senses a presence. Is there someone following her? Suddenly, there is a girl named Angela standing before her. Together they discover a lake and when Georgia teaches Angela how to skip stones and makes a wish, that wish comes true. “If you found a bit of magic in this world, you didn’t come across it by chance. That magic came to you, and for some kinda reason.”

Georgia and Angela become inseparable, meeting up at the lake and discovering just how the Wish Lake works. There are rules, after all. But what Georgia really wants to wish for is for her family to get better, but somehow that doesn’t seem to be within the power of the lake. Angela has a theory about that. “I just think some things are too big to only wish for. If you want them to change, you have to really do something, you know?” She encourages Georgia to talk (or at least write) to her father and explain how his actions make Georgia feel.

But then Cole shows up. At first, the girls are reluctant to tell Cole about the lake because he seems so angry and volatile. And when they finally tell him, Cole encourages a recklessness in Georgia that could get them into serious trouble. Is it possible to wish yourself so far away that you can’t get back?

Through it all, Aunt Marigold is a calming influence on Georgia as she patiently teaches Georgia about life on the farm: the garden, cooking and even making pottery. Her words seem to be about more than just the clay they are working with. “The best we can do is work with what you’ve got and try to shape it into something beautiful.”

Georgia comes to realize that Angela is right. That if she wants things to change, she has to take action to make them change. And then suddenly, Angela and Cole are gone. Were they ever really there? “Maybe we don’t always get what we wish for, but sometimes life gives us other gifts instead. Things we didn’t know to ask for.”

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Themes: friendship, family, alcoholism
It is summer vacation and Georgia's mother is trying to finish her college degree. Her father works and is a musician at night. They send her to Georgia's aunt to live for the summer - going home on weekends. It is there that Georgia finds a locked room in the house and a gravestone in the woods. She also meets Angela and they find a magical lake that grants wishes. As things at home get worse due to her father's drinking and the wishes at the lake get out of hand, Georgia learns more about her family than she probably wanted to know. She also learns what it means to be a friend and that she is stronger than she thinks she is.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This is a really, really good book. I'm sure that to someone who has dealt with alcoholism in their family like Georgia, this book would mean the world. Even though I haven't had to deal with that, I enjoyed the themes and story of this book immensely, and it had me going enough to cry multiple times. The characters are good, the plot and everything are good, and the writing style is excellent. I would definitely recommend reading this.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ali Standish is spot on in this middle grade novel. Georgia’s dad is two different people - one before alcoholism took ahold of his life and one after. When Georgia’s mom sends her to her Aunt Marigold’s for the summer, Georgia learns how to use the different aspects of her own personality to confront her dad and his alcoholism. Standish does an extraordinary job of writing about alcoholism, the different personalities it brings out and the broken promises that result.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Georgia is sent to stay with her great-aunt Marigold for the summer so her mom can study. She's also trying to figure out what is going on with her father. Sometimes he's the Daddy she's always known, and sometimes he's the Shadow Man who drinks too much. While visiting Aunt Marigold, Georgia stumbles upon a magical lake and makes a friend. Together they have magical adventures, including visiting the summer camp Georgia usually attends.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about a difficult social problem that was well written. By turns devastatingly painful and uplifting and beautiful. Well done Ali Standish. The internal struggle the main character feels about her fathers addition was very moving and did not shy away from really difficult conversations between all the main characters. Another wonderful middle grade book with depth and honesty within a magical setting of the imagination.

[Sarah Threlkeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful middle grade story about a girl who is spending the summer with her great aunt because her father’s drinking is out of control. One day she discovers a small lake in the forest that seems magical. Could this be the answer to her family’s problems? Not quite fantasy and not quite realistic fiction, this book explores themes of change, forgiveness, family and friendship.