"The Boy on the Porch" by award-winning author, Sharon Creech tells the story of John and Marta, a young married couple, who live on a farm with a few animals and a lot of space. They are simple people with little education but profound kindness and acceptance. One morning they wake to find a sleeping boy of about 5 or 6 years of age in a chair on their front porch. A note is in a pocket of the boy's shirt asking them to take care of Jacob until they return. Jacob is not the first living thing to just appear on their doorstep but he is the first human. If only they knew who left 'the boy', the term John and Marta use often, where he came from, when are 'they' coming back, but they don't know as Jacob cannot speak. The story unfolds in discovery of Jacob, but more importantly John and Marta and what they discover about themselves along the way. Two people that never really looked too closely at the world find themselves profoundly changed by helping those most in need.
Mary G., Grand Glaize
If it can't be warm and green outside, at least you can let your imagination wander to places that are balmy and fragrant. These long stretches in January when you don't want to go out are a great time to catch up on summer reads that you didn't get around to when you were busy! To that effect, I bring you a book full of joy and delightful characters.
Like a bittersweet glass of lemonade on a hot day, "Sparrow Road" by Sheila O'Connor is meant to be savored slowly. It's a tale of memories lost and found, of things hidden and revealed, of leaving and returning. But mostly it is about creating, forgiving, and grace.
Nothing is as it seems at Sparrow Road. When Raine's mother packs the two of them up suddenly and moves them from their apartment in Milwaukee with Grandpa Mac, she expects to hate the artist colony where her mother will work for the summer. Sparrow Road is an old mansion out in the country, haunted by the memory of orphans. At first Raine wants nothing to do with the silent and unplugged lives of the artists there--colorful Josie, boisterous Diego, uptight Eleanor, and frail Lillian. But she discovers that there are many mysteries surrounding Sparrow Road, even some involving her own family. The truth she encounters could change her life forever, and Raine has to decide if she wants to let that change come.
With all the discovery and wonder of a childhood summer adventure, Sparrow Road is a lovely and gentle story of the importance of family in any shape and size, as well as the power of art to heal and bring people together.
Andrea W., Headquarters
P.S. For another great summer adventure, give "Gone-Away Lake" by Elizabeth Enright a try!
