SANDPEOPLE

A girl visiting her aunt in Texas works to unravel a mystery in this middle-grade novel.

On the eve of summer vacation in 1998, 12-year-old Lea McKinney learns the terrible news: Her parents are separating. The family will be split over the summer since Lea’s mother will be traveling in Europe for a new job while her archaeologist father is away on a dig. T.J., Lea’s younger brother, will stay with their grandparents while Lea goes to her mother’s sister, Aunt Meg, an artist who lives on the Gulf Coast. Lea doesn’t know her aunt very well, and Texas is a long way from her home in Virginia. The small community and the nearby beach invite exploration, however, and Lea soon encounters an intriguing mystery in the dunes. What seems to be the ghost of a girl in a long blue dress appears and then disappears along with little human figures sculpted in the sand. Aunt Meg dismisses Lea at first, but with her new friend, Teri, and other resources, like the local historical society, the girl pieces clues together through research, relics, and stories. In her debut, Kerr offers fine character development via a resilient heroine who responds with growing maturity to daunting adjustments. Adults, too, are capable of growth; the childless Aunt Meg admits honestly that she also needs to change. Lea’s curiosity, intelligence, and hard work as she researches musty archives, joins a dig, and more, are admirable and engaging—a model readers can follow. Another plus is how the search’s practical details and the satisfactions of discovery become as absorbing as the ghost story.

A sensitive coming-of-age tale that shows the rewards of intellectual and personal growth.