Debut author Beth Turley brings readers a heartwarming tale of a 10-year-old girl who sees magic in the world around her and even finds a way to create some herself.
Hannah Geller is a star speller and the only girl in her fifth-grade class who has pimples on her face. Her best friends, Courtney and Ryan, have always been there for her. But lately someone has been writing mean notes about Hannah, and Courtney is starting to become distant. Things aren’t much better at home with her parents and their constant fighting. In the midst of all this, Hannah finds herself less and less able to escape from the sad thoughts in her head, and she wishes her life was a happy story more than ever. But this is her reality, and if she wants things to get better, she’ll have to find the courage to let go of the words she keeps trapped inside so tightly.
With sage wisdom and delicate feeling, Turley pens a story that is equal parts melancholic and hopeful. At the center of it all shines an unforgettable heroine who demonstrates to young readers that one can be both tenacious and gentle, sensitive and strong. Every page calls to mind an ordinary magic in the world, from the first crisp air of fall to the luck of a heads-up penny, and with Hannah as a guide, readers can’t help but open their eyes and their hearts a little wider.
