By Melanie Mosher
Nimbus Publishing
Ages 8–13
When Melanie Mosher was writing this middle-grade novel, she had no idea of the impending April 2020 mass shooting, which would rock all of Nova Scotia, but particularly the North Shore. So it’s fitting as our province continues to recover, this heartfelt story of grief, fear, loss, and healing, is set in the North Shore community of Tidnish Beach. With clean, straightforward storytelling, she shares how 10-year-old Laney learns to cope with her little sister’s death. Such stories can often be saccharine and clichéd—jarringly superficial or manipulatively tear-jerking—but Mosher strikes just the right note, with writing that is relatable and challenging, but still within reach of less experienced readers.
