The acclaimed author of Where the Watermelons Grow is back with a story perfect for fans of Lynda Mullaly Hunt and Ali Benjamin, about finding friendship after a tragic loss. Its been eighty-three days since Annie Lees daddy died, but she still sees reminders of him everywhere. His record player mysteriously plays his favorite songs, theres shaving cream in the sink every morning, and the TV keeps flipping to the Duke basketball games he loved.She knows Mama notices it too, but Mamas been working around the clock to make ends meet. To make matters worse, Annie Lees friends ditched her over the summer. She feels completely aloneuntil she meets Mitch. Though Mitch is tough and confident on the outside, she may need a friend just as badly as Annie Lee. But after losing so much, Annie Lee is afraid to let anyone get too close.And Mitch isnt the only friend trying to break through Annie Lees defenses. Ray, an elderly pianist who plays at a local mall, has been giving her piano lessons. His music is pure magic, and Annie Lee hopes it might be the key to healing her broken heart. But when Ray goes missing, searching for him means breaking a promise to Mitch.Faced with once again losing those who mean the most to her, Annie Lee must make a choice: retreat back into her shell, or risk admitting how much she needs Mitch and Rayeven if it means getting hurt all over again.Just like in her debut, Where the Watermelons Grow, Cindy Baldwin brings her signature twist of magic to this authentically heartfelt story.A Whitney Award finalistAn AML Award finalist

 

 

This book is aimed at children at US 3rd grade-7th grade.

This book has been graded for interest at 8-12 years.

There are 352 pages in this book. This book was published in 2021 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc .

Cindy Baldwin is a fiction writer, essayist, and poet. She grew up in North Carolina and still misses the sweet watermelons and warm accents on a daily basis. As a middle schooler, she kept a book under her bathroom sink to read over and over while fixing her hair or brushing her teeth, and she dreams of writing the kind of books readers can't bear to be without. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband and daughter, surrounded by tall trees and wild blackberries. Where the Watermelons Grow is her debut novel and is followed by Beginners Welcome. Learn more about Cindy at www. cindybaldwinbooks. com.