Where the Water Takes Us
by Alan Barillaro (Author) Alan Barillaro (Illustrator)
Debut author Alan Barillaro delivers a stirring story about a sensitive, shaken young girl who must face that growing up means coming to terms with the things you cannot change--and taking responsibility for the things you can. Ava's mom is about to have twins, and the pregnancy isn't going well. All Ava wants to do is stay by her mother's side, but instead, she is sent away to stay with her grandparents. Normally, spending time at the lake with Nonna and Nonno is wonderful. But everything is different now. While her mom's hospital visits are getting serious back home, Ava grapples with anxiety. As summer storms rock the island, electricity goes out at the cabin, and an annoyingly cheerful boy named Cody seems determined to pop up everywhere she goes. Ava can't be distracted from the feeling that something terrible, something irrevocable, is going to happen to her mom while she is gone.
When a bird dies in front of her, Ava is sure it is a sign that she is cursed--the last thing she, or her family, needs. But if a curse has been placed on her, there must a way to break it. So Ava makes a deal: If she can take care of two orphaned bird eggs, she will have paid off her debt, and her family will be alright.
With everyone she loves on the line, Ava will do everything in her power to make sure that her mom, her twin baby brothers, her birds, and even Cody all come through the summer safely.
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Kirkus Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Eleven-year-old Ava is sent to stay with her grandparents on an isolated island when medical complications involving her mother's pregnancy with twins result in mandatory bed rest. Though Ava usually loves spending time at their cabin, she's preoccupied with persistent worries that something terrible will happen to her mother while she's away, and feels guilty about the doctor's assertion that having Ava home would be more of a burden than a help. Upon finding a dead bird while exploring, Ava perceives it as a bad omen; she later discovers two abandoned bird eggs and takes it as a sign that she must care for them until they hatch. Meanwhile, her grandparents' cheerful tween neighbor Cody attempts to foster friendship, something that Ava, consumed with her newfound responsibilities, initially rebuffs. Ava eventually warms up to Cody, and when he disappears during a terrible storm, she shores up the courage to search for him, using the skills she's learned over the summer to navigate the treacherous landscape. Filmmaker and debut author Barillaro's third-person prose economically portrays Ava's repeated anxious thoughts, rendering her an at once empathetic and resilient protagonist. The novel's nail-biting climax is tempered by a comforting resolution, making for a well-rounded story about overcoming fear and embracing change. Ages 8-12. (July)
Copyright 2023 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
—Kirkus Reviews Filmmaker and debut author Barillaro's third-person prose economically portrays Ava's repeated anxious thoughts, rendering her an at once empathetic and resilient protagonist. The novel's nail-biting climax is tempered by a comforting resolution, making for a well-rounded story about overcoming fear and embracing change.
—Publishers Weekly
JUV013030 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Multigenerational
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
