Crossing the Pressure Line
Laura Anne Bird
Middle grade fiction, 243 pages
Orange Hat Publishing, March 1, 2022
$14.95 paper
$6.99 ebook
Buy on Amazon
About the Book:
Twelve-year-old
Clare Burch has just lost the person she loves most in the world. She wonders
if her feelings of sorrow and self-blame over her grandfather’s death
will ever go away.
Out of the blue, a
special request sends Clare on a journey from her home in Chicago to the
Northwoods of Wisconsin. She knows that she must honor Grandpa Anthony’s last
wishes, even though they completely upend her summertime plans.
Clare heads to rural
Alwyn with her little blind dog and a duffel bag full of worries. What will she
do without her best friends and swim team? Who will take her fishing and spoil
her with candy now that her grandfather is gone? And most important, is she
strong enough to let him go, forever?
During her summer up
north, Clare stumbles upon the answers to her many questions. Even more, as she
makes peace with why she couldn’t save Grandpa Anthony, she ends up rescuing
someone else from danger.
Above all, Clare
learns to listen to the courageous voice inside—and discovers just how tough
she really is.
My Review
Twelve, going on
thirteen-year-old Clare is part of Grandpa Anthony’s last pet project—getting
his girls to just get along better. Grandpa’s will has two surprising
directives, neither of which sounds like any fun, especially not when both Mom
and Grandma can’t even agree on what to pack for a summer exiled up north at
Grandpa’s favorite place in the world.
“No friends, no swim
team, no you, and a mom and grandmother who are experts at arguing.”
But a little voice inside
of her says, “Just make it work, Clare Burch.”
It’s a summer of
revelation as Clare makes goals, and works to achieve them. She keeps up with
her friends at home, makes new friends who have surprising international
backgrounds but aren’t really much different, keeps in shape by swimming in the
lake, tries to reel in that elusive musky, and learns to drive. But when
Grandma Lulu makes a devastating decision, it’s just one more hurdle to try to
handle.
Revelations come in
many forms; revelations of self-acceptance at any age or stage of life as Clare
works to overcome survivor’s guilt and learn empathy, her mother works to
accept her talents, and Grandma to accept her new life without her husband. The
Burch family makes their mark in the late Grandpa Anthony’s hometown, but for
how long? Anything can happen above the pressure line—where the air is more
breathable and the stress of problems seem easier to resolve.
Middle grade, pre-teen
girls will find much to enjoy about Clare’s eye-opening summer, where she
learns to look past outside and recognize grief plays out in many forms. Just a
note: keeping certain endangered or predatory bird feathers is illegal in
Wisconsin, but if you want to know more about that, you’ll just have to read
the book.
About the Author:
A
Milwaukee native, Laura Anne Bird graduated from the University of Notre Dame
with a degree in English. She lives in Madison with her husband, three
teenagers, and little dog. When she’s not reading, writing, or reviewing books,
she loves to exercise and explore the outdoors. Crossing the Pressure
Line is her first novel. You can find her on Instagram
@laura_at_the_library. www.laurabirdbooks.com
