The Stone Beach (Paperback or Softback)

When Caroline begins her last year of middle school, she barely recognizes her best friend. Brenda dresses differently. She blows off classes, homework, and friends. But has Brenda really changed, or is Caroline just seeing her with new eyes?

Brenda flaunts her new boyfriend, and Caroline feels like a third wheel. But she has worries that Brenda doesn’t understand. Her fifteen-year-old cat, Casey, is sick, and the vet has been hinting that it’s time to put him to sleep. How can Caroline lose her two best friends at once?

With Casey’s poor health weighing on her, Caroline makes an unexpected friend in Aimee, the darkly troubled girl who lives next door to her family’s farm. In her bluff way, Aimee helps Caroline to let go of Casey as unexplainable occurrences take place along the river that runs at the bottom of their yards. Unable to explain these events, Caroline begins to discover that some friendships are not worth keeping, others are worth fighting for and still others will endure into the afterlife.

Kim Chatel seamlessly weaves the supernatural into the essence of The Stone Beach and perfectly captures the emotions that every pet owner feels when saying goodbye to a beloved pet.

Suggested reading age: 11-14.