Book to Share: Secrets at Sparhawk Point, by Anna Rose Johnson

Most of you know by now that my little niche in the reading and reviewing world is that I am a diehard lover of classics and vintage stories, but also a diehard promoter of the best of contemporary literature. So one of my very favorite things is to discover books and authors that feel they could fit in either category. Anna Rose Johnson is one of those authors. If you skim over the copyright dates on her books, you might wonder whether you or your parents could have come across them, skimming through the library shelves of their own childhoods.

Anna Rose's newest book (out next week on August 25!) is her most "modern" book, set during the Second World War, on the shores of Lake Superior. Secrets at Sparhawk Point follows four main characters: Swedish sisters Ingrid and Beatrice Ahlstrom, and French-Ojibwe brothers Alex and Jack Robicheaux. Each of the children has his or her own dream: to be a writer, to be a decorator, to be an artist... but their one, unified dream is the biggest of them all: they want to stay in their beautiful little town of Sparhawk Point. With all the change brought about by the war and their own families' difficulties, they worry that they will have to move away from one another and the town where they grew up. One day, while looking out at the lake, they see something mysterious and fortuitous: could it be the legendary sea monster of the old Ojibwe tales? They're not quite sure, but they can't miss the opportunity to sneakily spread the word, hoping a sea monster might be just the stroke of luck they all need.

Sparhawk hit a personal chord (or two!) for me. I moved ten times before I turned eighteen, so the predicament of the Ahlstrom and Robicheaux children lit up my memories of my own childhood, always hoping and praying that each new move would be the last. I also spent much of my childhood near the Great Lakes, so Anna Rose's beautiful descriptions of the Lake Superior shore felt like they could have been drawn from my own childhood ramblings. All through the story, I was cheering the children along, hoping for them to be able to stay together, even as I cringed at each conflict they met upon the way.

I have a feeling I may have said this before, but this newest book is absolutely my favorite of Anna Rose Johnson's stories! The plotting and character development are masterfully done--quite honestly, I found myself re-reading sections to glean writing wisdom that I could apply to my own stories, and as I craft my own middle grade novel, I have started each editing session with the words, "How would Anna Rose handle this plot issue?" (And, yes, it's been very helpful!) Secrets at Sparhawk Point, even more than her other stories, makes a perfect whole family read aloud--I can't wait to get my hard copy next week and share it with my own kids!