Sand Dollar Summer - Hardcover

Kimberly K. Jones is the author of Sand Dollar Summer, which earned two starred reviews, was named a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, and was chosen by Booklist as one of the Top Ten First Novels for Youth. She lives in Monkton, Vermont. Visit her online at kimberlykjones.com.

Starred Review. Grade 6-8–Lise, 12, is beginning to feel at home in a new town with her single mother and 5-year-old brother, a selective mute. When her mother is injured in a car accident and faces months of rehabilitation, she decides to recover in Maine, where she grew up. Lise is shocked and resentful when they arrive at Fiddle Beach and she sees their tiny rented house. And she finds that the immense, uncontrollable, and endless ocean terrifies her. She is so caught up in her own feelings that she never really acknowledges the pain and frustration her mother is experiencing, and is even somewhat jealous of the former boyfriend who enters her mother's life. But when she meets Ben, an elderly Passamaquoddy Indian who lives in the last house on the beach, Lise finds that she can tell him about her fear and the changes in her life. Ben talks to her about knowing when to fight for what is important and when to accept change. Lise doesn't quite understand until Hurricane Fern hits and she almost loses her life while trying in vain to rescue the old man. Struggling in the water, she hears a small, clear voice calling her name–it is her brother's. Jones gets right to the heart of the matter in this captivating and touching first novel. Lise is by turns irritating, humorous, and compelling, but always believable. A first-rate debut.–Terrie Dorio, Santa Monica Public Library, CA
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