Kindred Souls

With the sure touch she brought to the beloved Newbery Medal winner Sarah, Plain and Tall, in Kindred Souls Patricia MacLachlan guides children into the understanding that death is a natural part of life.

Ten-year-old Jake has always been close to his grandfather Billy—so close that Jake’s mother calls them kindred souls. Each morning, Jake and Billy take a walk around the family farm. Billy often tells Jake stories of living in a sod house on the prairie.

When Billy goes into the hospital, Jake decides the best gift he can give his beloved grandfather is a sod house. Billy moves to the sod house when he leaves the hospital and spends his last days living there.

How do you say goodbye to someone you can’t imagine living without?

• A Special Bond: Ten-year-old Jake and his grandfather Billy are more than family—they’re kindred souls who share daily walks, stories, and a connection that will last forever.
• Family Farm Life: From the quiet rhythm of morning chores to Billy’s tales of growing up on the prairie, this story is filled with the warmth and love of a close-knit family.
• A Gift of Love: To bring his grandfather comfort, Jake takes on an impossible project—building a real sod house, brick by brick, as a final, beautiful gesture.
• A Gentle Story About Grief: Crafted with care by a Newbery Medal-winning author, this book provides a safe and poignant space for children and families to explore the feelings of love and loss.

Jake's grandfather, Billy, hears the talk of birds, is eighty-eight years old, and is going to live forever. Even when Billy gets sick, Jake knows that everything will go on as always. But there's one thing Billy wants: to rebuild the sod house where he grew up. Can Jake give him this one special thing?

From beloved author Patricia MacLachlan comes a poignant story about what we do for the ones we love, and how the bonds that hold us together also allow us to let each other go.

“It’s rare to find a children’s book that deals so well with death as part of life, offering kids an effective approach to coping with sadness that incorporates humor, love and joy.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“MacLachlan handles a familiar theme with grace, providing a lens into an uncanny intergenerational bond, as well as the kindness and generosity of love.” - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“An intense, rewarding read.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“These are time-sculpted themes-the bond between a child and a grandparent, a child’s first experience of death, the comfort of continuity and connection to the natural world—and MacLachlan gives them her particular stamp of plain speaking and poetry.” - The Horn Book

“The quiet rhythms of the story and the gentle banter of the dialogue make this an ideal group read aloud, but plenty of young readers will simply find it the perfect book to curl up with on their own.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)