Where the Water Takes Us (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781536224542)

Debut author Alan Barillaro delivers a stirring story about a sensitive, shaken young girl who must face that growing up means coming to terms with the things you cannot change--and taking responsibility for the things you can.

Ava's mom is about to have twins, and the pregnancy isn't going well. All Ava wants to do is stay by her mother's side, but instead, she is sent away to stay with her grandparents. Normally, spending time at the lake with Nonna and Nonno is wonderful. But everything is different now. While her mom's hospital visits are getting serious back home, Ava grapples with anxiety. As summer storms rock the island, electricity goes out at the cabin, and an annoyingly cheerful boy named Cody seems determined to pop up everywhere she goes. Ava can't be distracted from the feeling that something terrible, something irrevocable, is going to happen to her mom while she is gone.
When a bird dies in front of her, Ava is sure it is a sign that she is cursed--the last thing she, or her family, needs. But if a curse has been placed on her, there must a way to break it. So Ava makes a deal: If she can take care of two orphaned bird eggs, she will have paid off her debt, and her family will be alright.
With everyone she loves on the line, Ava will do everything in her power to make sure that her mom, her twin baby brothers, her birds, and even Cody all come through the summer safely.

Author: Alan Barillaro
ISBN-10: 1536224545
ISBN-13: 9781536224542
Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
Language: English
Published: 07/11/2023
Pages: 208
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.80w x 1.00d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 05/08/2023
Kirkus Reviews 05/15/2023
Booklist 07/01/2023 pg. 70
Horn Book Magazine 11/01/2023 pg. 76