My Jasper June: An Unforgettable Middle Grade Story of Two Lost Girls and Life-Altering Friendship for Kids (Ages 8-12)

“This book is a treasure—a touching story of friendship, loss, and finding beauty in the everyday, with characters who stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page. I absolutely loved it.”—R. J. Palacio, New York Times bestselling author of Wonder

Laurel Snyder, author of Orphan Island, returns with another unforgettable story of the moments in which we find out who we are, and the life-altering friendships that show us what we can be.

The school year is over, and it is summer in Atlanta. The sky is blue, the sun is blazing, and the days brim with possibility. But Leah feels. . . lost. She has been this way since one terrible afternoon a year ago, when everything changed. Since that day, her parents have become distant, her friends have fallen away, and Leah’s been adrift and alone.

Then she meets Jasper, a girl unlike anyone she has ever known. There’s something mysterious about Jasper, almost magical. And Jasper, Leah discovers, is also lost.

Together, the two girls carve out a place for themselves, a hideaway in the overgrown spaces of Atlanta, away from their parents and their hardships, somewhere only they can find.

But as the days of this magical June start to draw to a close, and the darker realities of their lives intrude once more, Leah and Jasper have to decide how real their friendship is, and whether it can be enough to save them both.

What happens when the only person who understands your grief has her own secrets to hide?

• A Touching Story of Grief and Healing: A year after a tragedy silenced her world, Leah is adrift. This heartfelt story navigates the quiet, lonely space of loss and the slow journey back to hope.
• An Unlikely Friendship: Then she meets Jasper, a magical and mysterious new girl who seems to understand everything. But Jasper is hiding her own painful reality.
• A Secret Hideaway: In the overgrown corners of Atlanta, the girls build a world of their own, a safe space away from family problems where they can finally be themselves.
• Emotional Middle Grade Fiction: Perfect for readers who love bittersweet, character-driven stories like Bridge to Terabithia and R. J. Palacio’s Wonder.

Laurel Snyder is the author of many picture books and novels for children, including National Book Award nominee Orphan Island, the Geisel Award winner Charlie & Mouse, the Sydney Taylor Award winner The Longest Night, and the National Jewish Book Award honoree The Witch of Woodland. A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, she lives in Atlanta with her family. She can be found online at laurelsnyder.com.