HOLE IN THE MIDDLE

It is the summer before middle school when Lindsay Cooper begins her first job working for the family business, Donut Dreams.

Though many of her friends spend summer days at the lake, Lindsay has dreams of going away to college; her steadfast commitment to work motivates her to not lounge the summer away. This summer is different, though, as middle school looms. Since her mother died two years ago, Lindsay’s paternal grandparents spend a lot of time helping Lindsay, her dad, and her younger brother, Skylar, adjust to their new reality. Once Lindsay’s best friend, Casey, returns from summer camp texting a long-distance “boyfriend,” the two BFF’s speculate about middle school, both feeling an undercurrent of the possibility that their bond may potentially shift in a new environment. When Lindsay’s maternal grandmother, Mimi, comes to visit, the family organizes a party to help Lindsay pick a dress for the upcoming fall dance. Grief finally overtakes Lindsay when she learns that the party has been organized to compensate for her mother’s absence during this rite-of-passage time for Lindsay. Narrated by Lindsay, this series opener is a comforting read, set in a small town where everyone knows everyone, the donuts are sweet, and familiarity and closeness ease childhood grief. The cast is default white. The book ends with sample chapters for the upcoming Donut Dreams title.

As sweet and straightforward as…well, a donut.