Today's WHAT'S THE BUZZ title is set to celebrate its BOOK BIRTHDAY this TUESDAY via Wild Trail Press and stars a Contemporary Middle Grade novel that will have you all tied up at the heart. What's that mean? Great question! I'll be happy to explain, but first...the introductions! Ladies and gents, get ready for a summer trip you won't soon forget as we set out for adventure with...
Loon Cove Summer
by
Donna Galanti
Hardcover: 9781736316276
Paperback: 9781736316269
eBook: 9781736316283
Wild Trail Press
RELEASE DATE: May 6, 2025
About the book...
Thirteen-year-old Sarah Richardson is determined that her life will finally get unstuck this summer. She just knows it. Her to-do list? Brave the lake again. Save the loons. Stop missing Mom. Her one bright spot: volunteering at the local wild bird rehabilitation center. The summer looks even brighter when Sarah meets Theo, the boy staying at her family’s Maine lakeside campground who cares about protecting the loons just like she does. But when Sarah’s family may have to move, she adds a new to-do item: save their home. And when she suspects Dad is dating Theo’s aunt, the naturalist helping research environmental dangers to the loons, Sarah is caught in a new world of grief. With the looming reality of losing her dad, her home, and the loons, Sarah must make a big statement to take control of her life. Capturing inspiration from her late mother’s Appalachian Trail hiking journal, she boldly plans a solo wild adventure. But as her challenges mount, she wonders if her courage will earn her the voice she seeks—or if she’s made a reckless choice that just might claim her life.
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This book. This book. This beautiful, heartbreaking book. When I say that I almost had to stop about 1/3 of the way through, I'm not stating that lightly.
It's not just a story about summertime...although it is that as well. Sarah and her bestie are a part this summer, but they are trying to share their experiences through "to-do" lists of epic proportions. Will they achieve their goals? Somewhat...but again, that's not the whole story. It's not just a story about conservation, and saving the beloved loons...although a big part of it is. We learn about their habits, what dangers exist for them, and how we can help. We see how one voice CAN make a difference, and inaction is the only true enemy of positive change....but again, not the whole story. It's not just a story about growing up, experiencing all the firsts, and changes that life can bring...although it is this as well. Spending the summer apart from her best friend, helping to save not one but two loons, a first crush, and maybe even a first kiss...and yet, this still isn't the whole story.
It's about a little girl and her father and her granddad...learning to live again. It's about going about your day and carrying on, even when you have a broken heart. It's about finding your rhythm again, and moving forward, while carrying the heaviest of hearts within you. It's about a subject that hits WAY too close to home, even though it's been 14 months for me, and only 6 months for our leading lady. When I say that I felt for Sarah, I mean I really FELT for Sarah. I understood her grief, her actions, her lack of actions, and the struggles she tried to valiantly battle through on her own in the hopes of not upsetting the family unit and further than it had already been. For Sarah, circumstances were different, and the struggles that already existed kept growing until it started to reach a breaking point...but lucky for her, that breaking point is what starts their healing process all over again. She learns that as time marches forward, we still carry the memory of those that are gone with us. The lessons shared help guide us. The love and the laughter, the smiles and the tears, they all build us up as much as they can make us fall...but feeling those emotions, and remembering those times are precious just the same.
A great read for Middle Grade fans of all ages with many a life lesson to share. The author does a wonderful job of getting the emotions into the story, while taking us on a summer trip we won't soon forget.
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About the author...
Donna Galanti is the author of two middle-grade series of books, Unicorn Island and Joshua and the Lightning Road. She has lived in fun locations including England, her family-owned campground in New Hampshire, and in Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna is an avid outdoor adventurer and nature lover. She volunteers for the Old-Growth Forest Network and the National Audubon Society. When Donna’s not wandering the woods seeking magic and wonder, you can usually find her biking or kayaking. For more information on her books, school visits, and events, visit her at: www.donnagalanti.com.
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🗓 *** MARK YOUR CALENDAR *** 🗓
$50 Barnes & Noble Gift Card Giveaway
ENTER 5/6/25 – 5/13/25
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Special thanks to author Donna Galenti for the eARC access for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is set to release May 6, 2025, so mark your calendar or preorder your copy today!
Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!
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