An Unforgettable Summer, With a Very Sad Middle and a Hopeful Hind End

Some of you may already be familiar with the author Sara Pennypacker, because her series about Clementine is one of the best things going for children and dogs ages 7-10.  Clementine is not as naughty as Ivy and Bean, or as Junie B., but funny things happen to her all the same.  Plus I like how she calls her little brother vegetable names, although I would personally have called him "Kibble" or Chicken Chunks".

So, anyway, I was just sniffing around on the floor, looking for crumbs, and I came across a book that had been lost under the coffee table.  Not to digress, but coffee tables are just the right height for dogs.  First you pretend you're not at all interested in the chips on the coffee table, then you create a ruckus in the kitchen with one of the cats, and voila! It is but the work of a moment to snarf down those delicious, salty chips and carry off the bowl, hiding the evidence.

Back to the book.  I noticed that the author was Sara Pennypacker, but this book wasn't bright orange, and it was thicker.  Two girls are on the cover, walking on a beach, and one is spreading her wings like a gull.  She is lost in the moment, and I can almost feel the wind in my furry ears and smell the salt air.  It looked like the perfect summer story, so I nosed open the cover and started reading.

This book struck close to home from the very get-go.  One girl is living with her Great-aunt Louise because her mom can't seem to do a good job taking care of her.  Another girl is living with them, a foster child who is unhappy and growly.  I thought about my own life, three homes, so many changes, and always looking for love.  Just like Stella and Angel, two very different damaged girls trying to keep their hearts together, but unable to sniff out the good in each other.
Until something absolutely terrible happens!  I couldn't believe it!  And it got buried in the back yard like a bone, except even smellier!  And those girls had to find out how to help each other, and how to grow up fast and learn to trust.  This story was beautiful and strong, sad and funny all at the same time.  The ending was like the girl on the cover, eyes closed, arms spread, ready to take off into the unknown with hope in her heart.