Kevin Henkes

Twelve-year-old Mitch and his mother are spending the summer with his grandparents at Bird Lake after his parents separate, and ten-year-old Spencer and his family have returned to the lake where Spencer's little brother drowned long ago, and as the boys become friends and spend time together, each of them begins to heal.

The morning after a snowfall finds animals and children playing.

Lily loves everything about school, especially her teacher, but when he asks her to wait a while before showing the class her new purse, she does something for which she is very sorry later.

Crisantemo loves her name, until she starts going to school and the other children make fun of it.

How can she help falling in love with the perfect dog?

Fanny has wanted a dog all her life. For a brief moment her dream came true, but then her father decided the puppy brought too much chaos to his neat, ordered home. Fanny has never been able to forgive him for it.

So when Fanny's father brings home a new, older dog, she's not sure she can trust him. She reasons that perhaps she shouldn't get too attached, in case

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"A beautifully written, rich, and tender novel." —The Horn Book (starred review)

Blaze Werla is having a routine summer. He spends his days alone, wandering around the hill next door, and his nights awake, avoiding the dreams that haunt him.

Then a message appears on the side of the hill and Blaze's predictable summer suddenly takes a turn toward the mysterious. By the time he meets outgoing Joselle Stark, Blaze

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Brief text and illustrations tell the story of a boy, a rabbit, and a seed.

Features nine of Henkes picture book stories featuring his mouse characters.

The narrator explains why it is sometimes nice to be alone.

Billy and his parents discuss how big he is getting.