The Mending Summer

From the award-winning author of The Ethan I Was Before comes a stunning middle grade stand-alone for fans of Wishtree by Katherine Applegate! Perfect for summer reading, it’s the story of a girl who, to avoid her alcoholic father, is sent away to her mysterious great aunt's country house, where she finds a magical wishing lake and the courage to mend her heart back together.

Some summers are just meant to break your heart.

Georgia can almost feel hers cracking a little more every day, like a clay pot left in a kiln too long. 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. He’s the man Daddy turns into when he drinks―the Shadow Man.

With Daddy sinking deeper into alcoholism and Mama struggling to keep the family afloat, Georgia is sent to stay with her mysterious great aunt in her rambling old country house. Soon Georgia meets Angela―a girl with secrets of her own―and together they discover a magical lake. At first, the lake offers Georgia thrilling adventures with her new friend. But as things grow worse at home, the magic threatens to spiral out of control. . . .

Award-winning author Ali Standish explores the courage it takes to piece your heart back together when those closest to you break it, and the ways we keep the light of hope burning, even through our darkest hours.