The Waterstone (Reading Together)

"The well-crafted tale and careful attention to detail will have young readers forgetting that the characters are only a few inches tall. . . . An amazing journey of surprising proportions." —KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review)

The world is drying. Twelve-year-old Tad — who is only a few inches tall — doesn’t even notice it at first. Busy practicing with his new spear, arguing with his sister, Birdie, and living the normal life of a youngling of the Fisher Tribe, he thinks little of a stream slowed to a trickle here, a pond suddenly dwindling there. But Tad begins to have strange flashbacks — glimpses of the past that he knows can't possibly be his own. With these "rememberings" haunting him, he and Birdie begin an adventure marked by great sorrows, fierce battles, and unbreakable friendships. In this remarkable rite of passage, Tad grows to know who he really is and what his destiny holds. For only he can restore the water and save the forests and animals and Tribes.

Only he can retrieve the Waterstone.

Rebecca Rupp has written nonfiction articles for many national magazines on topics ranging from the history of blue jeans to the science of ice cream. She is also the author of several books, including the Book Sense 76 pick THE DRAGON OF LONELY ISLAND. Rebecca Rupp says of THE WATERSTONE, "When Josh, my oldest son, was six, he invented Pondleweed, a mysterious and magical caretaker of trees, streams, and frog ponds. From that first image of Pondleweed came the entire world of The Waterstone and all the people, places, and magic in it."