Second Sleep

The time by the lake is everything perfect about a childhood summer…and maybe it also holds the answers Max needs. Give this tender middle grade novel to readers who love the mystery, friendships, and touches of magic in novels by Rebecca Stead and Laurel Snyder!

To get Max and Rosie’s minds off their mother’s mysterious disappearance, their grandmother, Mozelle, suggests that they visit the old log cabin where their mom spent her summers as a child. This is a place where, when it gets dark, you go to bed. But according to Mozelle, their mother had her happiest dreams during her nights at the lake.

That first night, Max and Rosie travel in their dreams to an almost impossibly beautiful place where they meet a wonderful new group of friends. But was it really just a dream? Or is there something extraordinary and magical about this compound by the lake?

As Max slowly grasps what is really going on, he wonders if he might have found the key to the mystery of his mother’s disappearance—and how to bring her safely home.

Can a dream from the past solve a mystery in the present?

• Missing Mother Mystery: Max and Rosie’s mom is gone, leaving only a cryptic message. The key to finding her might not be in the world they know.
• Cabin in the Woods: An old log cabin with no electricity, where bedtime comes when the sun goes down and a mysterious ‘second sleep’ begins.
• Contemporary Fantasy: A shared dream world where the lake comes alive with kids from the past—a place that feels more real than it has any right to.
• Coming of Age: A heartfelt journey where twelve-year-old Max must solve the puzzle of his mom’s past to protect his family’s future.

"This gentle but uplifting tale is very much an internal journey, with calm and creativity at heart; but enough mystery is sprinkled throughout (who are the lake kids? where is Max and Rosie’s mother?) that the pace never stagnates." - Horn Book Magazine

"This is a book for those who love adventure, mystery, and journeys to self-realization. At once magical and rooted in reality, an engaging story of life, love, family, and heart." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Filled with rich details that uphold a dreamy nostalgia, a strong core mystery, and organic growth for Max, Stanley’s latest celebrates bonds past and present among the characters." - Publishers Weekly

"Written with great immediacy, the scenes involving the lakeside group offer oblique clues to solving the questions that underly Max’s thoughts and motivate his actions: Can anyone protect this apparently magical place? Can he protect his mother? A compelling novel that challenges readers and rewards them as well." - Booklist (starred review)

"Purchase for collections where realistic fiction with a fantastic twist, such as The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm, is popular." - School Library Journal