The Summer of Owen Todd by Tony Abbott. 224 p. Farrar Straus and Giroux, October 17, 2017. 9780374305505.
Publisher synopsis: Owen and his best friend, Sean, are both eleven years old. They’ve lived on Cape Cod all their lives, and now that they’re a little older, they’ll finally be free to spend some time on their own. But Sean’s mother has a different idea—she hires a babysitter to look after Sean. Paul is in his twenties, and a well-liked guy from church.
Paul starts doing things that just feel wrong. Because they’ve always been as close as brothers, Sean tells Owen, and no one else. What’s not certain to Owen is what he should do. Sean warns him not to tell anyone what is happening. But if Owen doesn’t tell, could something even worse happen to Sean?
This harrowing and sensitively told tale of child abuse is a must-read for anyone who might ever be called upon to help a friend in need.
I learned about this from the author's Facebook page last Thursday (6/22) when he announced that he was signing books at ALAAC on Friday. Unfortunately, I couldn't be on the exhibit floor to snag a copy. I am very interested in reading how this topic is handled for a middle grade audience.
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