{"product_id":"scattergood-isbn-9780823463725","title":"Scattergood","description":"\u003cb\u003eIn rural Iowa in 1941, twelve-year-old Peggy’s quiet life is turned upside down by refugee arrivals, first love, and a heartbreaking diagnosis.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrowing up a farm girl, Peggy’s life has never been particularly exciting. But a lot changes in 1941. Her friend Joe starts acting strange around her. The Quaker hostel nearby reopens to house Jewish refugees from Europe, including a handsome boy named Gunther and a troubled professor of nothing. And her cousin and best friend, Delia, is diagnosed with leukemia—and doesn’t even know it. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePeggy has always been rational. She may not be able to understand poetry and speak in metaphors like Delia, but she has to believe she can find a way out of this mess, for both of them. There has to be a cure. And yet the more she tries to control, the more powerless she feels. She can’t make Gunther see her the way she sees him. She can’t help the Professor find his missing daughter. She’s tired of feeling young and naive, but growing up is proving even worse. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA historical coming-of-age novel that feels as alive and present as today, \u003ci\u003eScattergood\u003c\/i\u003e offers even readers familiar with World War II a fascinating new glimpse of history, far from the battlefields of Europe and the shores of New York City. H.M. Bouwman presents a raw and unapologetic snapshot of a girl battling her own shortcomings and the random nature of life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eShortlisted for the National Jewish Book Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eScattergood\u003c\/i\u003e is a brave, beautiful book, wise enough to reach for something beyond certainty.\u003cbr\u003e—The New York Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn H.M. Bouwman’s novel for young readers, a girl’s talent for math and chess leads her into unusual friendship.\u003cbr\u003e—The Wall Street Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBouwman paints a rich, detailed landscape, from mundane farm chores to deeply layered explorations of characters and relationships. . .An engaging, textured, and deeply humane coming-of-age novel.\u003cbr\u003e—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBouwman takes a seemingly mundane setting and crafts a heartfelt bildungsroman that even adult readers will enjoy. . . This is a timeless coming-of-age novel that breathes new life into the middle-grade WWII genre.\u003cbr\u003e—Booklist (starred review)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA steady narrative pace and a variety of secondary characters who inspire questions in Peggy solidify the book’s overall appeal.\u003cbr\u003e—Publishers Weekly\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBouwman’s writing is crisp and specific, painting a convincing picture of rural life of the period, and she stays firmly in the consciousness of her spirited, questing, analytical, mathematically inclined heroine.\u003cbr\u003e—The Horn Book\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA powerful coming-of-age story about life, loss, and community.\u003cbr\u003e—School Library Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis novel is so rich in texture and beautiful writing it’s almost impossible to capture Bouwman’s depiction of Peggy’s complex emotions.\u003cbr\u003e—St. Paul Pioneer Press\u003cb\u003eH.M. Bouwman\u003c\/b\u003e is an author of middle grade fantasy and historical fantasy, including \u003ci\u003eA Crack in the Ocean\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Tear in the Sea\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eGossamer Summer\u003c\/i\u003e. She teaches creative writing at the University of St. Thomas and lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with her family.","brand":"Neal Porter Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233533571301,"sku":"NP9780823463725","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780823463725.jpg?v=1767736180","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/scattergood-isbn-9780823463725","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}