Summer Reading Day 43: Season of Secrets by Sally Nichols
223 p. Arthur A. Levine Books/ Scholastic, January 2011. 978-0-545-21825-2.
Sisters Hannah and Molly are sent to live with their grandparents after the sudden death of their mother, due to an aneurysm and their father's subsequent depression. Hannah copes by being incredibly mean and Molly retreats into her books. It also doesn't help that their new school is tiny. The teacher is nurturing and the students are mostly tolerant, but there's no place to disappear.
When Molly witnesses the attack of what appears to be a homeless man by some wolves/ dogs and a horned man on horseback, no one will believe her. When she returns to the scene of the attack and discovers that he can make plants grow in the palm of his hand, no one will believe her. She does, however, notice a resemblance between her "man" and a statue in a churchyard during one of the class excursions. She learns of the tale of the Summer and Winter Kings. Could it be that her man is the summer king?
The language in this story is often lovely. The blend of realism and magic was intriguing. I loved the first half of the book. The dynamics of grief between the girls and the girls and their father rang true. The second half fell a bit flat for me. It seemed rushed. This is another middle grade novel that will require a thoughtful, patient reader. If you have any fans of Skellig, they should try this one.