Half Moon Summer

Drew had never been a runner, but when his dad buys him cool new running shoes and invites him on a run, Drew can’t say no. Soon, the two are joined by a new girl in town, Mia. Mia’s father has gone to Alaska, and her family is staying with her grandmother. They train together, but Drew’s dad has a bad fall, and other things are happening to him that are worrisome. Mia and Drew discover that they were born the same day at the same hospital, an interesting connection. Mia tells Drew she is training for a half marathon. She thinks running the half-marathon will give her a way to save her family’s home. Both seem to have insurmountable problems.

Elaine Vickers has written a terrific book with two stories woven together into a wholly satisfying one. The writing is lovely, the characters are fully developed and completely credible, and the complementary stories are very compelling. It’s nice to see a platonic relationship between a boy and a girl with no hint of romance in middle-grade literature, which also meets that standard. The problems the kids face are very real-world and ones young readers will relate to.