Salt, Sand, and Somewhere In Between
Five lives collide on the South Jersey shore during one unforgettable summer of discovery
- Child Books
- Literary Fiction
The boardwalk lights are bright, but the transitions of growing up are far more complex. In the final six weeks of summer, five very different kids from the same South Jersey town find themselves drifting together near the salt-sprayed beaches of Ocean City and Cape May. Marisol is navigating a body that feels increasingly unfamiliar. Declan is weathering the fallout of his parents' divorce while feeling left behind by his own growth spurts. Simone is tired of being the glue holding everyone else together. River is testing the boundaries of who they are in a world that demands labels, and Tito is hiding his family’s fractures behind a loud, performing mask. What begins as a series of awkward encounters evolves into a messy, necessary, and life-changing friendship. From the heights of the Cape May Lighthouse to the nostalgic glow of the Delsea Drive-In, these five pre-teens explore the shifting sands of identity and the bittersweet realization that childhood doesn't last forever. As September looms, they must face the ultimate question: Can a friendship forged in the heat of summer survive the cooling winds of change? Salt, Sand, and Somewhere In Between is a tender, funny, and deeply honest look at that fragile space between being a kid and becoming yourself.