Dimensions
129 x 192 x 13mm
Annie Richards knows there are a millions things to looks out for - bicycle accidents, food poisoning, chicken pox, smallpox, typhoid fever, runaway zoo animals, and poison oak. That's why being careful is so important, even if it does mean giving up some of Annie's favorite things, like bike races with her best friend Rebecca and hot dogs on the Fourth of July. Everyone keeps telling Annie not to worry so much, that she's just fine. But they thought her brother Jared was just fine too, and Jared died.
It takes a new neighbor, who looks plain as a box of toothpicks but has some surprising secrets of her own, to make Annie realize that her plans for being careful aren't working out as well as she had hoped. And with a lot of help from those around her - and a book about a pig, too - Annie just may find a way to close her umbrella of sadness and step back into the sunshine.
With a winsome humour and a dash of small-town charm, Lisa Graff's third novel is a touching look at rising above grief and the healing power of community.
Ages: 8 - 12
