Description

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Jeff Greene was only seven when Melody, his mother, left him with his reserved, undemonstrative father, the Professor. So when she reenters his life years later with an invitation to spend the summer with her in Charleston, Jeff is captivated by her free spirit and warmth, and he eagerly looks forward to returning for another visit the following year.
But Jeff's second summer in Charleston ends with a devastating betrayal, and he returns to his father wounded almost beyond bearing. But out of Jeff's pain grows a deepening awareness of the unexpected and complicated ways of love and loss and of family and friendship -- and the strength to understand his father, his mother, and especially himself.

A NEWBERY HONOR BOOK
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION CHILDREN'S NOTABLE BOOK
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS
AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION BEST OF THE BEST FOR YOUNG ADULTS
INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION TEACHERS' CHOICE
INTERNATIONAL READING ASSOCIATION YOUNG ADULT CHOICE
BOOKLIST EDITORS' CHOICE

About the Author

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Cynthia Voigt won the Newbery Medal for Dicey’s Song, the Newbery Honor Award for A Solitary Blue, and the National Book Award Honor for Homecoming, all part of the beloved Tillerman cycle. She is also the author of many other celebrated books for middle grade and teen readers, including Izzy, Willy-Nilly and Jackaroo. She was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards Award in 1995 for her work in literature, and the Katahdin Award in 2004. She lives in Maine.

Praise For…

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USA Today Honest, controlled and uncompromising.

New York Times Book Review Beautifully written.

Booklist starred review Richly resonant -- perhaps the best Voigt venture yet.

Bulletin of the Center for Children¹s Books Beautifully knit, a compelling and intelligent novel.

Horn Book A fine achievement.