Miracle Season

Gr 4-6–Persephone Clark’s life is not what it was a year ago. Back then, she had a best friend, a fun-loving big brother, and her family was happy. Levi’s accident changed everything. Now Persephone goes out of her way to avoid her former friend, Levi has a brain injury that has left him unresponsive and experiencing seizures, and her family is overwhelmed by medical bills. Persephone desperately wants to change things in her small Wisconsin town, and when she finds an application to the reality show “Small Town Revival” on Levi’s computer, she thinks she’s found a way. Persephone forges his signature and submits the application, hoping the large financial prize the show awards to one townsperson will be enough to pay off the family’s debt and get new treatments for Levi. But one lie leads to another, and soon Persephone is keeping secrets from the whole town. With the help of new friends, including an eccentric neighbor, a cat, and house that has a mind of its own, Persephone comes to terms with Levi’s accident and learns about hope, change, and the power of forgiveness. Despite the title of the book, there are no sudden miracles here, only those that come from within. Persephone and most of the townspeople are cued as white; two characters are described as Black. This is a serious look at grief made lighter through a touch of magic.