NOVEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Narrator Caitlin Kelly tells the story of 12-year-old Claire, who hopes to keep her two horses, Sunny and Sam, despite her family’s financial difficulties. At the same time, Claire is struggling to come to terms with her older brother Andy’s addiction issues, which have contributed to her family’s hard times. Kelly creates a youthful and passionate voice for Claire that perfectly captures her tumultuous emotions, especially when the details of Andy’s problems surface during a conversation with her best friend, Maya. Listeners will relate to Claire and cheer her on as she works through her feelings in order to forge a path forward with the help of her family and friends. M.D. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
10/19/2020
Sensitive 12-year-old Claire desperately misses her 18-year-old brother, Andy, who is in rehab to treat his addition to pain medication. Following her mother’s job loss and the expenses from her brother’s treatment, Claire is also determined to find a way for her family to keep their two beloved horses, and she sees winning the prize money from her school history fair as a way to save them. When she finds an old clipping about an accident involving horses and her family’s Vermont farm, she connects it to the horses in the woods that only she can see. Baughman (The Light in the Lake) effectively portrays Claire’s facility with and affection for her family’s horses, but a fantastical subplot involving ghostly animals feels extraneous, distracting from the otherwise powerful narrative. In addition, a few metaphors, particularly the birds used to express Claire’s anxieties (“The sparrows swirl and tumble and bump into one another as they fly”), feel repetitive. Claire’s feelings, however, are authentically portrayed, and Baughman’s novel offers a sensitive look at the ripple effects of addiction. Ages 8–12. Agent: Katie Grimm, Don Congdon Associates. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Praise for The Wild Path:
"A gorgeous, colorful fall setting, a mystery surrounding wild horses roaming the woods, and a sensitive representation of a family contending with addiction all add up to make this not only a magical story, but an important one."—Dusti Bowling, bestselling author of Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus and The Canyon's Edge
Praise for The Light in the Lake:
* "Baughman convincingly portrays the varied reactions to the findings as well as everybody's desire for the lake to thrive.... Compassionately told, this compelling debut brings to life conservation issues and choices young readers will confront as adults."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "In Baughman's skillful handling, Addie's memories of her brother and her first-person voice are both heartbreaking and hopeful. The novel offers a gentle, introspective exploration of grief and the wonder and fragility of nature, creating a beautiful and dynamic world in which the scientific method and magic coexist."—Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The Light in the Lake is a moving novel that skillfully balances magic and science, and loss and hope. Sarah Baughman has created a brave, smart protagonist readers are sure to connect with and root for in her compelling debut."—Supriya Kelkar, award-winning author of Ahimsa and American as Paneer Pie
"Haunting, memorable and full of mystery, The Light in the Lake is a brilliant combination of beautiful, lyrical prose and a compelling, exciting story. Baughman has created complex characters with real, deep emotions and a picturesque setting that will make readers feel as if they are at Maple Lake with Addie."—BookPage
"Told in prose as luminous as the mysterious creature Addie searches for, The Light in the Lake shines with heart, hope, and just a touch of magic."—Cindy Baldwin, author of Where the Watermelons Grow
"A complex take on science, magic, grief, and family for fans of thoughtful realistic fiction in the vein of Kathi Appelt's, Erin Entrada Kelly's, and Ali Benjamin's novels."—School Library Journal
"The Light in the Lake radiates with heart and hope. As Addie's tender memories of her brother intertwine with the magic she uncovers in her town's beloved lake, we're led on a moving exploration of science, grief, and self-discovery. A poignant, lyrical story that tugs at the heartstrings."—Mae Respicio, award-winning author of The House That Lou Built
"Baughman paints with authenticity the grief of Addie.... Addie's unabashed love for science makes her a pleasingly STEM-focused heroine, and her quest to solve Amos' questions about the lake is interesting and admirable."—BCCB
"Drawing on the wonder of science and the power of magic, Baughman has crafted a story that plunges readers into the deep places of the heart. In The Light in the Lake she reminds us that not even the depths of loss can prevent the rise of light and discovery. A poignant story, filled to the brim with hope."—Beth Hautala, author of Waiting for Unicorns and The Ostrich and Other Lost Things
NOVEMBER 2020 - AudioFile
Narrator Caitlin Kelly tells the story of 12-year-old Claire, who hopes to keep her two horses, Sunny and Sam, despite her family’s financial difficulties. At the same time, Claire is struggling to come to terms with her older brother Andy’s addiction issues, which have contributed to her family’s hard times. Kelly creates a youthful and passionate voice for Claire that perfectly captures her tumultuous emotions, especially when the details of Andy’s problems surface during a conversation with her best friend, Maya. Listeners will relate to Claire and cheer her on as she works through her feelings in order to forge a path forward with the help of her family and friends. M.D. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2020-06-16
Legendary, possibly imaginary horses help a Vermont 12-year-old cope with loss and change.
Claire’s 18-year-old brother, Andy, is at a residential facility being treated for an addiction to pain medication. Her mother, an accountant, lost her job several months ago; between that and the cost of Andy’s treatment, her father’s teacher salary isn’t enough for them to continue to keep the family’s horses, Sunny and Sam. For Claire, Sunny and Sam “hold my skin and bones together”—she can’t imagine life without them. Hoping to prevent their sale by winning the school history fair, she researches the historic use of horses in logging and sugaring as well as their current use in equine therapy. When she finds an old newspaper clipping of a long-ago accident in which horses died, she thinks they’re related to the horses she encounters in the woods—horses only she can see. The storyline of Claire’s brother’s addiction, her family’s struggles with it, and her development through a teen support group are all well handled. However, the wild horses feel out of place. Their existence isn’t important to the story in any way, and Claire’s belief in them isn’t all that compelling as a subplot. Claire and her family are white; her best friend is likely Latinx, and a friend from her support group, South Asian. An author's note discusses alcohol abuse and offers resources for young readers.
Read for the sensitive portrait of addiction and its effects on a family, not for the magic horses. (Fiction. 9-13)
