{"product_id":"what-i-came-to-tell-you","title":"What I Came to Tell You","description":"\u003cp\u003eNew in paperback. A critically acclaimed writer publishes his first juvenile novel  a SIBA Fall 2013 Okra Pick  in the spirit of such beloved novels as Newbery Medal-winning Missing May and Because of Winn-Dixie. Warm  evocative writing blends with an emotion-laden narrative that goes to the heart of the reader.  Since his mother died earlier this year  Grover Johnston (named after a character in Thomas Wolfes Look Homeward Angel) has watched his family fall to pieces as his father throws himself into his work rather than dealing with the pain. Left to care for his younger sister  Sudie  Grover finds solace in creating intricate weavings out of the natural materials found in the bamboo forest behind his North Carolina home  a pursuit that his father sees only as a waste of time.  But as tensions mount between father and son  unlikely forces conspire to help the Johnstons find their way. The new tenants in the rental house across the street who have come from deep in the Carolina hills seem so different from the Johnstons  but become increasingly intertwined with them in unexpected ways. Classmates  neighbors  teachers  and coworkers band together  forming a community that can save a family from itself.  Tender  touching  and utterly compelling  What I Came to Tell You  the first middle-grade novel from critically acclaimed Asheville author Tommy Hays  is a story of grief  love  and hard-won redemption.  A 2013 Fall Okra Pick  Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance  \"Hays is a gifted storyteller  offering up an effective balance of credible emotion  understated wisdom  and gentle humor.\"--The Bulletin of the Center for Childrens Books  starred review  \"Hays is especially strong at depicting the network of people  old and young  who help Grover and his family move through their grief and  along the way  save his beloved forest.\"--Publishers Weekly  starred review  You may visit with Tommy Hays on his website  www.tommyhays.com.  Available in both hardcover (ISBN 9781606844435) and electronic (ISBN 9781606844342)book formats\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44950269460533,"sku":"ByrdShop_1606845454","price":62.55,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781606845455.jpg?v=1770103544","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/what-i-came-to-tell-you","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}