Wishing Season

Starred review from May 1, 2023
After her twin brother, Anders, dies of a sudden infection following a cancer diagnosis, 11-year-old Lily Neff “folded herself into his absence” until she finds him lingering near the tire swing in their Maine island’s woods, “real and present and hers” but invisible to everyone else. When summer arrives (which Anders calls “wishing season” thanks to the months’ plentiful dandelion puffs), Lily retreats daily to their secret meeting place—“the overlap”—for relief from their spiraling single mother, her callous former best friend, and her guilt around helping keep Anders’ symptoms secret from their mother. But Anders can’t move beyond the overlap, and Lily can’t know what being dead is like, making her feel less connected to him. When Anders doesn’t appear in the overlap, Lily distracts herself by helping teenager Quinn do chores for neighbors, and as Lily forges new relationships in her community, the overlap begins to shrink, leaving her wishing desperately for a way to control it. Building a small-town atmosphere via a frank third-person narration and concrete, considered prose, Rissi (Hide and Don’t Seek) builds an empathetic voice that cradles Lily’s grieving process and experience of change. Characters default to white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

May 15, 2023
Grades 5-7 Lily and her twin, Anders, were in fifth grade when he died. Months later, she has yet to emerge from her grief and the guilt she feels for having helped him hide his illness initially. Their mom, still overwhelmed by sadness, has withdrawn to her room. Lily's greatest comfort is that she can still see, hear, and interact with Anders daily in an outdoor space they call the overlap. Summer comes, and she befriends Quinn, a high-school student who takes her to feed a neighbor's chickens, listens to her, and broadens her world. Meanwhile, Lily is devastated to realize that the overlap is shrinking and Anders is gradually withdrawing, visiting her less often and leaving sooner. This sensitive third-person narrative follows Lily's shifting perspective as she reacts to ongoing changes in her life. Expressing the girl's emotional state throughout the novel, Rissi shows Lily taking satisfaction from the chickens' fondness for her, Quinn's friendship, her mother's return to parenting, and her own increasing confidence that she can handle challenges. A heartening portrayal of a resilient character.

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Starred review from July 1, 2023

Gr 5 Up-When her twin brother Anders dies, 11-year-old Lily's world comes to a screeching halt. Her mom becomes unresponsive, and everyone in her small Maine town starts to treat her differently. What everyone doesn't know is that Anders isn't gone, at least not for Lily. It must be an "Us Thing," something that only Lily and Anders share, because the "overlap" is a special place where they spend afternoons together playing croquet and building squirrel forts. But when Anders starts to show up later than usual and the boundaries of the overlap start to shrink, Lily must devise a plan to keep her connection with Anders or lose him forever. With help from a cast of strong Maine women, Lily is able to come to terms with her grief and continue living in a world without Anders. In this beautifully written and character-driven novel, readers will identify with Lily and be immersed in coastal Maine scenery. All characters read as white. VERDICT Young readers dealing with grief or facing tough situations will find comfort in Lily's relationships and discover new ways to discuss their feelings; a must-purchase for any library.-Maryjean Riou

Copyright 2023 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from July 1, 2023
When the school bus drops Lily off after the last day of fifth grade, four months after the death of her twin brother, Anders, her loneliness is so palpable that even the birds express concern. Lily's single-parent mother is absorbed in her own grief, and Lily's classmates are keeping their distance. She finds real comfort only in "the overlap," a place behind a barn where she can still see and talk to her dead twin. Otherwise, Lily soldiers on through summer alone, except for occasional interactions with a sympatico high school girl, a generous neighbor, and a bunch of chickens. The narrative slowly reveals details from the previous year, allowing readers to develop a more intimate connection to the characters and to make sense of Lily's isolation and feelings of guilt. Told in the third person, this poignant, mostly realistic exploration of processing grief is punctuated by a few observations from anthropomorphized local animals and the supernatural moments between Lily and her brother. Though Anders seems to be losing his connection to the world, he supports Lily as best he can, encouraging her to enjoy what little time they have and to find ways to go on living. This achingly sad but also hopeful story set on a small Maine island poses questions about the power of our connections -- to other people, to animals, and to the world around and beyond. Julie Roach

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from May 15, 2023
Eleven-year-old Lily Neff struggles to accept the death of her twin brother, Anders. Summer break has begun, but Lily, emerging from the school bus and trudging up to her home on Deer Isle, Maine, isn't looking forward to it. Her single mother, deeply depressed following Anders' death from cancer four months earlier, doesn't greet her--and Lily doesn't expect her to. Lily also feels Anders' death keenly, but she has a secret: She can go to a space in the field behind her house that she calls the overlap, and Anders shows up, just as solid as he was in life. The two play and talk together, and this eases Lily's grief. Less a ghost story than a poignant allegory, the scenes of Lily and Anders together are peppered with an appealing gallows humor ("Anders grinned and took a practice stroke. 'Croquet chaos. I like it. Rule Three: Dead kid starts, ' ") that sidesteps the maudlin and adds a delightful layer of wit. As the weeks go by, Anders appears less frequently and becomes less substantial, and Lily panics, trying not to lose him. Meanwhile, Lily is befriended by Quinn, an older girl, and starts to accept a new friendship. By turns gentle and forthright, this well-paced story leads readers to questions about loss and the durability of relationships. The island setting is authentically and lovingly described, adding measurably to the story's ambiance. Characters read White. A droll, well-paced, and deeply moving book about loss and friendship. (Fiction. 9-12)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2023
When the school bus drops Lily off after the last day of fifth grade, four months after the death of her twin brother, Anders, her loneliness is so palpable that even the birds express concern. Lily's single-parent mother is absorbed in her own grief, and Lily's classmates are keeping their distance. She finds real comfort only in "the overlap," a place behind a barn where she can still see and talk to her dead twin. Otherwise, Lily soldiers on through summer alone, except for occasional interactions with a sympatico high school girl, a generous neighbor, and a bunch of chickens. The narrative slowly reveals details from the previous year, allowing readers to develop a more intimate connection to the characters and to make sense of Lily's isolation and feelings of guilt. Told in the third person, this poignant, mostly realistic exploration of processing grief is punctuated by a few observations from anthropomorphized local animals and the supernatural moments between Lily and her brother. Though Anders seems to be losing his connection to the world, he supports Lily as best he can, encouraging her to enjoy what little time they have and to find ways to go on living. This achingly sad but also hopeful story set on a small Maine island poses questions about the power of our connections -- to other people, to animals, and to the world around and beyond.

(Copyright 2023 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)