LOON COVE SUMMER
By: Donna Galanti
Published: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Wild Trail Press
Middle-Grade Fiction
Thirteen-year-old Sarah, her dad, and her uncle live at and own Loon Cove Campground on Lake Nikuwoss in Maine. Summer vacation has begun, and it’s their busiest season, but they need it to be even busier than normal if they are going to make it another summer. Sarah’s dad is gone a lot for his job, and they are both grieving. Sarah’s mom died recently, and neither of them knows the best way to navigate their feelings. Sarah escapes to the bird rehabilitation center, and her dad escapes to his job.
“Our silence could fill buckets, overflowing and dumped out each day to be filled up again the next.”
Sarah loves loons, especially Lewis and Lady, the resident loons that return every summer to the lake. But the other loons seem to be leaving, and there seems to be more loons ending up in the rehab center due to injury from humans, like fishing lines or boat injuries. Sarah has secretly been asking for help from the local university to save the loons, writing letters and emails.
When Sarah meets a new camper her age, her summer plans get a little more exciting. Theo and Sarah are both passionate about saving the loons, and Theo’s aunt is here to help. What she doesn’t expect is Theo’s aunt and her dad becoming close.
Sarah’s feelings around missing her mom, the loons needing help, the campground struggling to survive, and her dad’s dating all come to a head and cause Sarah to make a decision that could have lasting effects.
“Joy at feeling her still alive flooded through me then released in a dam of tears. She didn’t die one day. She died in bits and pieces every day.”
This middle-grade novel deals with real teen emotions of grief, struggling with being heard, new feelings around a boy, and missing her best friend. Mixed in with the fictional story of Sarah and her summer at the lake, readers will also learn facts about loons. Each chapter begins with a few loon facts that will then relate to the story.
There was a lot to love in this story. My heart ached for Sarah, struggling with the loss of her mom, her best friend moving away, her dad’s lack of communication, her worries about saving the campground, and her feelings about her dad possibly dating someone new. That’s a lot for a 13-year-old to take on, but Sarah seemed like a pretty independent and bright kid. Intermixed with Sarah’s story was the story of the loons that lived on the lake. Lady and Lewis were long-time residents of Lake Nikuwoss. When you learn that loons don’t breed until they are six or seven years old and also only have one chick every couple of years, you know how important it is to preserve the loons you have and keep the lake safe for any future loons.
Kids who like stories about characters struggling with real-life issues, or who also have a passion for birds or other animals, will love joining Sarah for a summer at her campground. Even though Sarah didn’t cross everything off of her Summer Dream Do List, she did gain new friends, a new appreciation for the loons on their lake, and she has a whole new dream to look forward to.
Check out the book trailer:
Donna Galanti is the author of the middle-grade Unicorn Island series and the Joshua and the Lightning Road series. She has lived in fun locations including England, her family-owned campground in New Hampshire, and in Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna is an avid outdoor adventurer and nature lover. She volunteers for the Old-Growth Forest Network and with the National Audubon Society. For details on her books, events, and school programs, visit donnagalanti.com.
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Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this book for this review. This review is my honest opinion. If you choose to purchase through the above links, I may receive a small commission without you having to pay a cent more for your purchase.
Posted Under Book Review, Children's books, Donna Galanti, grief, middle-grade
Stacie, thank you so much for reading and reviewing Loon Cove Summer! I’m so glad you loved it and I love how you pulled out certain quotes. It’s a very personal book to me as the setting is based on the campground my parents owned and operated in New England, it navigates the grief my dad and I went through over losing my mom, and I’m a volunteer with the National Audubon Society and get to work with raptors in school programs to educate kids on bird conservation.
That’s awesome that you volunteer with the Audubon Society. Merlin ID is one of my favorite apps to use!