Where the Water Takes Us by Alan Barillaro

Ava's mom is about to have twins, and the pregnancy isn't going well. All Ava wants to do is stay by her mother's side, but instead, she is sent away to stay with her grandparents. Normally, spending time at the lake with Nonna and Nonno is wonderful. But everything is different now. While her mom's hospital visits are getting serious back home, Ava grapples with anxiety. As summer storms rock the island, electricity goes out at the cabinand an annoyingly cheerful boy named Cody seems determined to pop up everywhere she goes. Ava can't be distracted from the feeling that something terrible, something irrevocable, is going to happen to her mom while she is gone.

When a bird dies in front of her, Ava is sure it is a sign that she is cursed the last thing she, or her family, needs. But if a curse has been placed on her, there must a way to break it. So Ava makes a deal: If she can take care of two orphaned bird eggs, she will have paid off her debtand her family will be alright.

With everyone she loves on the line, Ava will do everything in her power to make sure that her mom, her twin baby brothers, her birdsand even Cody all come through the summer safely. (From Candlewick Press)

Alan Barillaro is a writer and director from Niagara Falls, Ont. who won an Academy Award for the animated short film Piper and was the supervising animator on other theatrical releases such as WALL-E, Brave and The Incredibles. Where the Water Takes Us is his debut middle-grade novel.