Today, I’m delighted to be partnering with Walden Pond Press to showcase a gorgeous new middle grade book — AND give you a chance to win a finished copy. Keep reading to learn more about the book and enter to win.
Laurel Snyder, author of Orphan Island, returns with another unforgettable story of the moments in which we find out who we are, and the life-altering friendships that show us what we can be.
The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone.
Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost.
Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find.
But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.
R.J. Palacio, author of Wonder, had this to say:Â “This book is a treasure — a touching story of friendship, loss, and finding beauty in the everyday, with characters who stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page. I absolutely loved it.”
Laurel Snyder is the author of picture books and novels for children, including National Book Award nominee Orphan Island and the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner Charlie & Mouse. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she currently teaches in Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program. She lives in Atlanta with her family and can be found online at www.laurelsnyder.com.
Thanks to Walden Pond Press, we have ONE finished copy of My Jasper June available. To enter, tell us about a friendship that felt magical to you in the comments below. Then fill out the Rafflecopter form to complete your entry.
U.S. only. Contest ends at midnight (PT) on Wednesday, September 18th.
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- September 4 Open Book Reviews
- September 5 Teachers Who Read
- September 6 Nerdy Book Club
- September 9 Read Wonder
- September 10 About to Mock
- September 11 Novel Novice
- September 12 Create Explore Read
- September 13 Book Monsters
- September 16 Maria’s Melange
- September 17 Writer’s Rumpus
- September 18 Bluestocking Thinking
- September 19 Storymamas
- September 20 Amber Kuehler
Novel Novice 
When I first met Craig at about age 7 we just hit it off. We created so many worlds to play in-we were elves, space exploers, pro football players and everything else. When we were together, nothing else mattered.
My magical friendship is with Lori. I was an unsure student teacher placed in her classroom in 1985. She encouraged me to see my full potential and I went on to be Secondary Student Teacher of the Year for the NEA. She has never not been at my side for monumental life events including my wedding, births, accidents and deaths. She has never faltered in her unconditional love and kindness. I would love to share this book with my middle schoolers, so they can have a peek at how magical friendship can be.
A friendship that felt magical to me was my first ever best friend in second grade. We did everything together. Then, she was hit by a car and hospitalized in ICU. Since I was not an adult or family, I couldn’t visit in person. I recorded myself talking to her about my day and her family played these for her while she lay in a coma. Then, one day, a joke I told her made her smile!! Her family requested more jokes and this was the beginning of her awakening.
My younger brother and I had a very special friendship. He passed away in 2013 but I still feel it.
I can remember the first time I saw my best friend, over 16 years ago. I was an Orientation Leader, and she was visiting her future college with her brother. I can remember what room we were in, and where we were sitting. This because she is a little person, and wherever she goes, people notice her.
Over the years Sandy has taught me many things about love, compassion, and disability advocacy. She has helped shape the person I am today.
I have a friend who lives out of state. We see each other almost never, and are both too busy to keep in touch daily, but when we do see each other it feels as easy as breathing. For someone who’s an introvert and struggles to relate to people, it’s magical.
My best friends right now make my life magical. They help make life worth living.
Although I have good friends now, my friendships in junior high always seemed so magical. Maybe because at that time in your life, friends are the most important thing.