Award-winning middle grade novel by Karen Pavlicin.
“Mom called this my Summer of Courage. She said that when you need courage the most is when you realize what’s happened in your life and you decide to get up the next morning anyway.”
Ten-year-old Andy is doing his best to cope with the changes in his life. He misses his dad, who died of cancer, and his best friend, Anthony, who moved away. Now this city boy is spending the summer at Grandma’s farmhouse in rural upstate New York. Everything is changing.
Can Andy find the courage he needs?
In a summer filled with family, fishing, and friendship, Andy discovers what happens when you mix rotten apples with a little bit of faith.
“I closed my eyes and prayed for God to send me a sign. Any sign he was listening. He sent me perch, Mrs. Sackets, and crow’s nest.”
Includes a recipe for crow’s nest, rules for gin rummy, and a discussion guide.
This story, originally published in hardcover as Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest, has won multiple awards, including Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards Gold, Benjamin Franklin Awards Silver, IPPY Silver, Mom’s Choice Awards Silver, Children’s Crown Award Finalist, NAPPA Honors Book, Book of the Year Awards Finalist, Midwest Book Awards Finalist.
Cover illustration by Lori McElrath-Eslick.
Karen Pavlicin
Karen is the author of Surviving Deployment and Life After Deployment; the poem “Love Letters” in Military Life: Stories and Poems for Children; the children’s novel Perch, Mrs. Sackets, and Crow’s Nest/Summer of Courage; and the Circle of Catholic Women journals.
Children’s Crown Award – Finalist
Foreword Reviews Book of the Year Awards – Finalist
IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards – Silver
Independent Publisher Awards (IPPY) – Silver
Midwest Book Awards – Finalist
Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient
Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards – Gold Medal
NAPPA Honors Book
“ … an upbeat, positive story … wise, hopeful … with a subtle simplicity sure to touch hearts.”
–School Library Journal
“An enjoyable adventure of discovery … ”
–Midwest Book Review
“ … compelling … and woven with rich memories … ”
–Stories for Children Magazine
“ … very worthy book for any young reader … characters are well defined and interesting. The book will capture the attention of both boys and girls.”
–The American Author Association
“Written in gentle, lyrical language. Very refreshing.”
–Kit Vaughan, librarian, Chesterfield County Public Schools, Virginia
“ … shows all the beauty of life through a ten year old’s eyes … A richly and simply told story.”
–Ellie Maresch, teacher, Minnesota
“Kids will love Mrs. Sackets’s yellow polka-dotted swim suit and penchant for poetry, learning how to milk a cow and make a clock from cow dung, counting to find the fish, and all the other wonderful treasures dappled throughout this memorable story.”
–Glen Van Cise, pastor, Pennsylvania
“ … A simple tale that reinforces the importance of friends and family.”
–Linda McCullough, library director, Carthage, New York
“ … addresses so nicely the real issues of loss and friendship through endearing characters and the magic of a lazy summer. It gives children a wonderful way to think about the changes in their lives and the role of their faith. A delightful read.”
–Pauline Lucero Esquivel, children’s counselor, New Mexico