MY FATHER'S WORDS

In MY FATHER'S WORDS, Newbery Medal winner Patricia MacLachlan crafts a beautiful and moving middle grade novel about two children who find comfort working at a rescue center for dogs, as they search for ways to cope after their father's sudden death.

Declan O'Brien always had a gentle word to share, odd phrases he liked to repeat, and songs to sing while he played basketball. His favorite song was Dona Nobis Pacem, "Grant Us Peace." His family loved him deeply, and always knew they were loved in return.

But a terrible accident one day changes their lives forever, and Fiona and Finn O'Brien are left without a father. Their mother is at a loss. What words are there to guide them through such overwhelming grief? At the suggestion of their friend Luke, they volunteer at an animal rescue shelter where they meet two sweet dogs who are in need of comfort, too. Perhaps with time, patience, and their father's gentle words in their hearts, hope will spark once more.

Told in Patricia MacLachlan's trademark spare and poignant prose, this moving novel explores how healing can come from unexpected places, and how we honor the ones we've loved and lost.

Patricia MacLachlan is the celebrated author of many timeless books for young readers, including SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL, winner of the Newbery Medal. Her novels for young readers include THE POET'S DOG, ARTHUR, FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME; THE FACTS AND FICTIONS OF MINNA PRATT; SKYLARK; CALEB'S STORY; MORE PERFECT THAN THE MOON; GRANDFATHER'S DANCE; WORD AFTER WORD AFTER WORD; KINDRED SOULS and THE TRUTH OF ME; she is also the author of countless beloved picture books, a number of which she cowrote with her daughter, Emily. She lives in Williamsburg, Massachusetts.