Summer of the Oak Moon

Gr 8 Up—It's 1982, and Tess Seibert, newly graduated from high school and on the verge of her 18th birthday, knows this summer will be different than any other. Not only is it something she can sense, but she has concrete indications as well. First, she must grapple with her lack of college plans come the fall. Second, she just got bitten (twice!) by a nasty snake and is rescued by Jacob Hampton. And last, she starts to develop feelings for Jacob. This would be fine, except for the fact that Tess is white and Jacob is black, and although they are more than a decade removed from de jure discrimination, Jim Crow is alive and well in their small north Florida town. To complicate matters, Tess has a growing suspicion that her family was somehow involved in the disappearance of Jacob's father in the late 1950s as well as a plot to steal land from his family. With the help of a local healer, Lulu—who insists that Tess has a special gift—Tess learns of her family's past and must find the courage to face it. Tess is an extremely likable heroine who acts with a maturity and authority beyond her years, but she is still a believable teenager.