I am excited to say that after a couple of years, my debut YA novel is finished! Gosh, did I ever have fun writing it. I got to revisit one of the most special places on the planet ( the Adirondack Mountains ) in the most idyllic place, a summer camp.
I was fortunate enough to actually spend several summers of my early childhood in such a place. For this story, I fast-forwarded to a 13-year-old protagonist on the brink of turning 14. The idyllic place: Adirondack Woodcraft Camp ( a boys' camp ). Just like me, this young girl (Molly) gets to spend the summer living in a tiny cabin with her family, while her father manages the food service at the camp.
Her best pal for the summer is 15-year-old Pam, the granddaughter of Chief, the owner/manager of the camp.
Molly is an artist and nature girl. Pam, not so much. She is the exact opposite of Molly: a world-wise city girl, an expert in everything teen.
This will be a pivotal summer, where Molly will have to navigate the tricky waters of this mismatched friendship. Molly's nature skills come in handy throughout the book, as do Pam's skills in fashion, make-up, and boys.
One of my readers remarked: "It's a book every preteen girl should read. It touches on so many important themes: friendship, crushes, love, betrayal, divorce, domestic abuse, and how to navigate those challenges. (The abuse only garners a mention after the fact; nothing graphic.... Any mom would feel comfortable giving this book to her daughter to read, and the daughter would find it exciting and engrossing! I wish every young girl had such a tender first experience with a boy. Readers of this book will have a better chance than they might otherwise have had."
Young adult readers who loved The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, Too Close to the Falls, The Birchbark Series, and Daisy May and the Miracle Man will love this book. Those adult readers who want to travel to more idyllic times like in The Mitford Tales series, or like stories where young people have to figure things out to mature into people we can all admire, like The Girls in the Stilt House, Shelterwood, and Where the Crawdads Sing will enjoy following Molly as she dips her toes into the edge of adulthood.
The Kindle version of this book can be found on Amazon as can the paperback. I would appreciate any good reviews on Amazon. Enjoy the book! Hopefully this link works...If not, cut and paste... old school
