Umbrella Summer

From the author of the Bluebonnet Award nominee The Thing About Georgie comes a touching novel about a young girl whose brother has just died, and how she rises above grief through the healing power of community.

Annie Richards knows there are a million things to look out for--bicycle accidents, chicken pox, runaway zoo animals. That's why being careful is so important, even if it does mean giving up some of her favorite things, like bike races with her best friend 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 to make Annie realize that her plans for being careful aren't working out as well as she'd hoped. And with a lot of help from those around her, Annie just may find a way to close her umbrella of sadness and step back into the sunshine.