"What a beautiful novel about sisterhood, about art, about hearts broken and hearts mended. August or Forever will forever chime inside my own heart." -Gayle Brandeis, author of My Life with the Lincolns Ten-year-old Molly has always loved having a sister, but sisters are supposed to live together, right? Molly certainly thinks so. Unfortunately, her older half-sister Alison lives on a whole other continent. Their video chats are great, and Molly is thrilled when Alison's hand-written letters arrive in the mail like surprise gifts. Still, it's not enough, not compared to what other siblings have. That's why when Molly finds out that Alison is finally coming to visit over the summer, she devises a plan she's sure will get her sister to stay. But then Alison arrives with plans of her own, a fragile heart gets broken, and Molly stumbles upon a painful piece of her sister's past. Molly has always loved having a sister, but this is the August when she'll learn what it really means to be one.
"What a beautiful novel about sisterhood, about art, about hearts broken and hearts mended. August or Forever will forever chime inside my own heart."
Gayle Brandeis, author of My Life with the Lincolns
"In August or Forever, Ona Gritz has penned a beautiful novel about sisters. Ten-year-old Molly longs to spend time with her older half-sister, Alison, who has grown up in England and is finally coming to spend August with Molly's family. Sensitive, artistic Molly longs to make up for lost time with her sister and forge stronger bonds. She even schemes to find her twenty-year-old sister a job so she will stay beyond her visit and they can be a family together. However, Molly's expectations are soon met with disappointment and misunderstanding when Alison arrives with her own plans. This spare, elegant story will resonate deeply with middle grade readers in its excavation of Molly's hopes, disappointments, and inevitable growth as she reimagines her relationships in new ways. Exploring themes of friendship, family, and art, Gritz deftly captures the voice of her protagonist as this tender story unfolds, defying our notions about what it means to be a family."
Carol Dines, author of This Distance We Call Love and The Queen's Soprano
"August and Forever tenderly conveys the dynamics of a "different" kind of sibling relationship, one between half siblings raised thousands of miles apart. We cheer for its endearing ten-year-old protagonist, Molly, as she navigates through uncertainties and misunderstandings to discover that family love has a patient, enduring force."
