The Lost Boy's Gift

by Kimberly Willis Holt (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
Kimberly Willis Holt explores themes of divorce, acceptance, intergenerational friendship, and the power that comes with noticing in The Lost Boy's Gift, an insightful middle-grade novel. There are places where you want to go and places where you want to leave. There are also places where you want to stay.Nine-year-old Daniel must move across the county with his mom after his parents' divorce. He's leaving behind his whole life--everything--and he's taking a suitcase of anger with him. But Daniel is in for a surprise when he settles into While-a-Way Lane and meets his new neighbors--the Lemonade Girl, the hopscotching mailman, the tiny creatures, and especially Tilda Butter. Tilda knows how to look and listen closely, and it's that gift that helps Daniel find his way in that curious placed called While-a-Way Lane. This title has Common Core connections. Christy Ottaviano Books
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$8.99

Review quotes

A Junior Library Guild Selection

The dull and seemingly ordinary neighborhood in which Daniel fetches up with his newly divorced mom turns out to be anything but. Daniel's first impressions of While-a-Way Lane aren't good . . . Wondrous things that happen. . . After Daniel's experiences, readers will want to move there too.—Kirkus, starred review

Holt applies her talent for writing quiet, heartfelt stories
to this study of Daniel, a lonely boy struggling with his parents' recent divorce. . .Quirky neighborhood characters occupy the idyllic town, and this serene backdrop gives Daniel and Tilda much-needed opportunities for uninterrupted personal reflection and positive steps forward.—Booklist

Fans of Natalie Babbitt and Anne Ursu will appreciate the blend of emotional resonance and magic.
—The Horn Book

Touches of the fantastic augment accessible, straightforward prose, which permeates the neighborhood personalities' lives and motivations, lending this novel a gently bustling yet intimate atmosphere. —Publishers Weekly

Holt's whimsical narrative moves between Daniel's struggles in his new life, Tilda's reflections on her old one, and the critters and community that surround them both. . . A smart, hopeful perspective of life on any lane.—The Bulletin

Kimberly Willis Holt
Kimberly Willis Holt is the acclaimed author of many award-winning novels, including The Ambassador of Nowhere Texas, The Lost Boy's Gift, Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel, Dear Hank Williams, The Water Seeker, My Louisiana Sky, and When Zachary Beaver Came to Town, winner of the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She is also the author of the popular Piper Reed chapter book series and several picture books. Holt lives in Texas.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9781250618733
Lexile Measure
710
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Henry Holt & Company
Publication date
January 12, 2021
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV039060 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Friendship
JUV039050 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Emotions & Feelings
JUV013020 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Marriage & Divorce
JUV031060 - Juvenile Fiction | Performing Arts | Theater
Library of Congress categories
Families
Schools
Family problems
Moving, Household
Theater
Human-animal communication
Neighborhoods

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