• Age: 9 to 12
• Grade: 4 to 7

Jennifer's best friend has moved away and she has become the sole focus for the mean-spirited teasing from the "mean girls" and the "bad boys" at school. But when the new girl, Melody, joins their class the bullies have a new victim. Melody is native and has moved from the recently closed residential school to join the fifth grade class at Summerhill.

At first Jennifer is nervous about becoming friends with Melody. She has heard what people (including her grandmother) say about "those people." But as she gets to know her new classmate, she discovers that they have more in common than she first thought — both of them find sanctuary amongst the books in the town library and both of them love music and being outdoors. Set in a small town in the coal mining regions of Nova Scotia during the late 1960s, this story of discovery and friendship perfectly captures time and place through the voice of its young narrator, Jennifer.

Jan L. Coates is the author of numerous books for young readers, including A Hare in the Elephant's Trunk, a finalist for the Governor General's Literary Award and the Ann Connor Brimer Award, as well as a USBBY Outstanding International Book. Her middle grade novels have been finalists for the Ann Connor Brimer Award, the Violet Downey Award, and the Hackmatack Children's Choice Award. Sky Pig received the 2017 Lillian Shepherd Award for Illustration and was shortlisted for a Willow Award. She lives, writes, and teaches in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Jan L. Coates' profile page

• Short-listed, Ann Connor Brimer Children’s Literature Award
• Short-listed, 30th IODE Violet Downey Book Award
• Short-listed, Hackmatack Award
• Short-listed, Jane Addams Children's Book Award
• Joint winner, CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens
• Joint winner, OLA Best Bets Top Ten-Junior Fiction