Awards and Honors2008 Booklist Editors’ Choice: Books for Youth; 2008 School Library JournalBest Books, Fiction; NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People 2009, Contemporary Concerns
Jane lives with her poet mother and three younger siblings in a beach house in a small Massachusetts town. Twelve-year-old Jane wants "something more to do . . . than the usual wading in the shallows and reading and building castles on the shore." She wants the "I know not what, which is what adventures are about" and decides to pray for one hundred adventures. All summer long, Jane gets her wish-in one unexpected way after another.
Summary Jane senses that something in her is changing. She longs for adventures, and they arrive all summer long. At first the adventures seem to Jane to be linked by a kind of kismet, at times punishing her for unkind thoughts or rewarding her for unselfishness. Over the course of the summer, however, Jane begins to understand that there are matters in the world that have nothing to do with her, but at the same time there are connections between events that no one can ever fully see.
Topics Summer. The beach. Adventures. Strangers. Fairs. Fathers. Illness. The elderly. Favors. Prayer. Cosmic energy. Faith healers. Bible distribution. Hot air balloons. Poetry readings. Friendship. Paternity. Babysitting. Parenting. Saving a life. Fortune-tellers. Con artists. Faith. Kindness. Domestic violence. Mediums. Jam. Death. Funerals. Diagnoses. Signs. Missing children. Mental illness. Selfishness. Kidnappings. Rescues. Changes.
SRC Level 5.300000
SRC Points 14.000000
Lexile 810L
Trim Size 5 1/2" x 8 1/4"
JLG Span Fall
Language English
Publication date 2008-09-08
JLG Release Date Feb 2009
Minimum grade 5
Maximum grade 7
Reading level Elementary, Middle
Format Print
Upper Elementary/Middle Plus (Grades 5-7)
Upper Elementary/Middle Plus
Upper Elementary/Middle Plus (Grades 5-7)
For Grades 5-7
This collection ensures a steady stream of engaging books for middle-grade readers, offering a well-balanced mix of fiction and nonfiction. Designed to challenge and inspire young readers, these selections remain accessible for those transitioning to more complex texts or who may be reluctant to read.