Matthew knows that this summer is going to be the worst ever. His best friend Kyle is gone, his younger brother Mark has surpassed him in size and athletic ability, and his mother is pregnant for the fifth time.

The eldest home-schooled son of a preacher, Matthew plans to bury himself in books about the speed of light and Einstein's Theory of Relativity to see if he can prove his own theory about the dilation of time.

Instead, he befriends Dinah, a homeless teenager seeking refuge at the library.

Although from very different backgrounds, Matthew and Dinah come to realize that they have a great deal in common--their love for music and for cans of olives and potato chips found in a supermarket dumpster that are just past the sell-by date... and maybe even for each other.

Matthew struggles with his feelings for his own family as he helps Dinah avoid Child Welfare. And in the process, Dinah helps him discover that even the smallest acts of kindness can make a very big difference.

Coming May, 2010!

 

The Author

Laurie Gray is a Deputy Prosecuting Attorney in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and has served as an author and lecturer for the National Symposium on Child Abuse. Laurie is the founder of Socratic Parenting, LLC (www.SocraticParenting.com), the co-creator of Token of Change™ (www.TokenofChange.com) and a consultant for Sophie’s Café (www.SophiesCafe.org). Summer Sanctuary is her first young adult novel.

For more about Laurie Gray, go to socraticparenting

Excerpt

Dinah broke the silence. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked. She was combing her fingers through the grass and propellers, watching intently as the blades bounced right back up, twirling the propellers in the air.

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't very well tell her that I watched her dig my sandwich out of the trash yesterday, and I was just dying of curiosity.

"You just seem different-more interesting than most of the people I see around here." I leaned back on my elbows and stretched my feet out in front of me. "Why did you agree to have lunch with me?"

"I was hungry," she said simply, rising to her feet and wiping her hands on the back of her jean shorts. She walked around the maple tree, hugging it with one arm as she walked. Then she turned around and walked the other way, hugging the tree with her other arm. She stopped right in front of me. I had to look straight up to see her face. "You seem different, too," she admitted. "In a good way." She sat down and relaxed a little, leaning back against the tree.

"Can you keep a secret?" she asked.

I hesitated. How many times had my parents talked to me about good secrets and bad secrets? Could I promise to keep a secret without knowing what kind of a secret it was? "I can keep a secret that needs to be kept."

"I mean it, Matthew." She sat forward, hugging her knees. "If I tell you something, you have to promise not to tell anyone." Just the way she said it I could tell it was a really serious secret.

"I promise," I said, knowing that I would keep Dinah's secret no matter what, and hoping I wouldn't regret it.

Reviews

What a big-hearted story, told with affection and humor. I loved spending time with Matthew and his family and with Dinah, the girl who looks in from outside. Like Dinah, young readers will find a place of welcome and comfort, a true sanctuary, in the pages of this book. Like Matthew, they’ll discover something important about friendship and independence.

--Helen Frost, Printz Honor Award-winning author of Keesha’s House.

Summer Sanctuary exudes a strong voice for the two central characters . . . they learn what it means to measure a person’s worth not based on circumstances, but on the will to survive. Gray has captured the essence of what it means to be a young teen—wanting to grow as an individual while needing the security of a home and loving family. Summer Sanctuary can help guide teens through the difficult transition between childhood and becoming adults.”

--Kayleen Reusser, author of Taylor Swift—a Blue Banner Biography

Coming March, 2010!