Heart Stones

by Maryann Cocca-Leffler, Maryann Cocca-Leffler (Illustrator)

Overview

HEART STONES is a fast-paced middle grade magical realism mystery novel aimed at ages 8-12. It follows Gale Hope and her friend Celia as they piece together the clues of the Heart Stones. It’s a story of love, community and friendship and the power of believing. Born in a Blizzard ten years earlier, Gale was given the name “Gale Hope,” to symbolize the hope that the town needed at the time. In the recent devastating storm, heart shaped stones begin to wash up on the shore of her coastal town, which begins a mystery. Gale once again helps to heal a broken community and this time changes it for good.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781954277038
Publisher:	McSea Books
Publication date:	12/12/2023
Pages:	128
Sales rank:	729,954
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	7 - 12 Years

About the Author

As a girl, Maryann Cocca-Leffler spent summers on the ocean. Now, she lives on the coast of Maine, where you’ll often find her on a beach reading a good mystery or walking the beach searching for heart stones.

Maryann is the author and illustrator of over sixty-five books for children. Recent picture books include, Clams All Year (McSea Books), We Want to Go to School! The Fight for Disability Rights (Albert Whitman & Co.), and The Power of Yet (Abrams).

Maryann lives in Portland, Maine. Heart Stones is her debut novel.

As a girl, Maryann Cocca-Leffler spent summers on the ocean. Now, she lives on the coast of Maine, where you’ll often find her on a beach reading a good mystery or walking the beach searching for heart stones.

Maryann is the author and illustrator of over sixty-five books for children. Recent picture books include, Clams All Year (McSea Books), We Want to Go to School! The Fight for Disability Rights (Albert Whitman & Co.), and The Power of Yet (Abrams).

Maryann lives in Portland, Maine. Heart Stones is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

06/01/2022

Gr 3–7—It's March in Cliff Cove, ME, four weeks after the worst storm of the decade. Buildings need to be repaired, people have had to move, and two lobster fisherman are missing. Ten-year-old Gale Hope Henderson and her friend Celia Shen are able to bring a little hope and love to the town, though, after they start finding pinkish-red heart shaped rocks all over town. The stones glow and cause a tingling sensation when you pick them up. They seem to be magical—grumpy people turn nice when they have them. Talents seem to increase in people who touch the stones, and when the rocks move by themselves, they point to signs and clues that the girls decide to follow, despite all the naysayers in their lives. With a little detective work and library research about tides and geology, the friends find out how the rocks appeared, who put them there, and why. Despite the chaos that swept through Cliff Cove with the storm, the town feels very cozy. Gale and her friend hang out at the LaundromArt (a place that is half art studio and half laundromat). They have an ice cream shop and beautiful beaches to explore, and a friendly guy named Sam who busks while playing the guitar and singing. Scenic black-and-white illustrations add a decorative touch to the chapter headings. Readers may relate to Gale's family life (arguing with her sister and mom, not being understood or believed by family and friends, spending Saturdays with her dad). Her perseverance and curiosity over answers to seemingly inexplicable happenstances may inspire tweens to do the same. VERDICT Readers who want a mix of love and mystery in a story set in a fishing community will love this cozy read.—Tanya Boudreau

School Library Journal