GRANDMA SUMMER

This is a terrific story about place and connections across time. Ben and his grandmother have gone to open up the family beach house on the Oregon coast for the summer. Ben is initially put off, but not Grandma: “Oh, I do love this old place. It smells just like summer.” When Ben discovers a blown-glass float for a fishing net, Grandma says it drifted all the way from Japan and that Ben’s father found it on the beach years ago. After some more poking about and a swim in the bone-cracking cold water and, then, a night of wind and rain, it is Ben’s turn to find just such a marvel on the beach. That history repeats itself so neatly strains credulity, but who would deny so radiant a familial tapestry? Jessup has created an enticing world of storms, memories, and summer. Readers will want to stay, smell the salt air, and learn more from Grandma. (Picture book. 3-8)