June 2016 - Page 2 of 9 - Anastasia Suen

hammerandnails
Hammer and Nails
by Josh Bledsoe (Author) and Jessica Warrick (Illustrator)

Booktalk: Darcy has plans. She and her friend are going to play dress up, do each other’s hair, and polish their nails. Daddy has plans, too. He’s going to read the paper, mow the lawn, and fix the fence. When Darcy’s friend cancels and she’s sure her day is ruined, Daddy suggests that they tackle their to-do lists together with a Darcy-Daddy Day.

Snippet: “Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Daddy interrupted. “Give me a chance! Just uncrumple your list and come downstairs. It’s coffee time. We sip. We read. We relax.”

“Can it be chocolate milk for me?”

“Sure thing,” Daddy answered.

localgirlsweptaway
Local Girl Swept Away
by Ellen Wittlinger (Author)

Booktalk: They are four best friends who’ve shared joy and secrets, love and memories, and since the beginning, Lorna was the one who held them all together. Then, the unthinkable happens. During a storm, Lorna is swept out to sea, leaving the three survivors with nothing to cling to except grief and questions. How did this happen? Why was Lorna in such danger, and was she alone? When her body is never found, the mystery deepens. Did Lorna really die? Or has she made a crazy bid for freedom? Inevitably, the dynamic of the four friends’ everyday life is changed forever. But the pain and confusion go deepest for Jackie, who must face her feelings of unrequited love for Lorna’s boyfriend as well as try to put to rest her own questions about Lorna’s presumed death. Does one of the boys in their inner circle know more than he’s letting on? Will Lorna’s fate ever be discovered? And how will Jackie become her own person in the wake of a wound that may never close?

Snippet: The day of the service I changed clothes four times. Nothing I owned sent the right message: Everything is ruined. I understood now why black was the traditional funeral color, not dull gray, not muddy brown. Only stark black told the world that the worst had happened, the inconceivable worst, and there was not a bit of color left in your life.