In the Heart of Woods

A boy, a forest, and the summer that changed everything.It's the summer of 1957, and ten-year-old Herbie Hereford is afraid of the woods across the street from his house in Upton Grove, Ohio.When three neighborhood kids-bold Tommy, inquisitive Skeeter, and unpredictable Roger-invite him to explore them, he says yes. Together they wade into ponds, track deer, build a boat, and learn to read the rhythms of a wild place that becomes as familiar as home-one of the last remnants of the great eastern forest of the American Midwest.For Herbie, the woods offer something he can't find at home, where his father's silences and sudden anger press on everything-even the brightest summer days. That summer, he discovers that courage isn't only something you find in the forest.In the Heart of the Woods is a coming-of-age story for middle-grade readers and for adults who remember what it meant to have a place that was entirely yours. For fans of Because of Winn-Dixie, Hoot, and Dandelion Wine.