Summer of Brave

Twelve-year-old Lilla Baxter-Willoughby doesn’t lie. She’s just a little bit…selective. To keep her parents happy, Lilla hides how much she hates moving back and forth between their houses, and she stomps down her doubts about that elite high school they’re pushing her toward. To keep peace with her best friend Vivi, Lilla doesn’t share that she got the junior camp counselor job that Vivi wanted. And even though—no, especially because—he seems into it, Lilla does not tell the boy she grew up with about all the little sparks that flared up inside her the day she noticed his Suddenly Adorable Freckles.
So when Vivi dares Lilla to start telling the truth as part of their Summer of Brave, Lilla hesitates. Because if she says out loud what she really wants, her whole life might crash down around her. And she doesn’t need that. Except maybe she does.

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  • 240 Pages
  • 5.5" x 8"
  • 9780807576700
  • April 2022

Buy from Albert Whitman

  • 9780807576618
  • March 2022

Reviews

  • With compassion, wry humor, and pinpoint accuracy, Parks weaves the multiple challenges facing adolescent girls into a compelling, seamless narrative. Timely, insightful, and highly recommended.

    - Kirkus Reviews starred review

  • A first purchase for middle grade collections as well as book clubs for this age range.

    - School Library Journal starred review

Awards & Accolades

  • A Junior Library Guild Selection April 2021
  • School Library Journal Best Middle Grade Books 2021
  • Kirkus Best Middle-Grade Family Stories of 2021
  • The Best Children's Books of the Year 2022, Bank Street College

 

  • Accelerated Reader Points: 7.0
  • ATOS Level: 3.9