First published 2000
Portia and her cousin Julian stumble upon something extraordinary during their summer adventure. Beyond the familiar woods lies a forgotten lake surrounded by the crumbling remains of what was once a grand resort. Empty cottages stand like sentries around the water's edge, their windows dark and their porches sagging with age. The children can almost hear echoes of long-ago laughter and see shadows of the families who once filled these now-silent spaces. As Portia and Julian explore deeper into this lost world, they uncover clues about the people who lived and vacationed here decades before. Each cottage holds remnants of interrupted lives and abandoned dreams. The lake itself seems to whisper stories of summer days when children splashed in its waters and families gathered on its shores. Through their exploration, Portia and Julian connect with the past in ways they never expected, finding that some places hold onto their memories so tightly that the boundary between then and now begins to blur.
Genres: classic-literature, family-life, historical-fiction, adventure, coming-of-age
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, lyrical, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: found-family, time-slip
Setting: Gone Away Lake
Period: 20th-century
256 pages · Library Binding · Demco Media