Hello from Renn Lake - by Michele Weber Hurwitz (Hardcover)

About the Book

In Wisconsin, as her adoptive parents open their lake cabins for summer visitors, twelve-year-old Annalise, abandoned as an infant and able to communicate with the lake, discovers a growing toxic algae bloom and teams up with her friends to save the beloved body of water.

Book Synopsis

The environmental activism of Hoot meets the summer friendship of Lemons in this heartfelt story about community, conservation, and standing up for the things you love.

Annalise Oliver's family has owned and run lakeside cabins in Renn Lake, Wisconsin, for generations. This summer, she gets to help out while her younger sister focuses on being an actress and her best friend is babysitting rambunctious twin boys. It's the perfect opportunity for Annalise to work and spend more time by her beloved lake.

When she was three years old, Annalise discovered that she could sense what Renn Lake was thinking and feeling. Now, at twelve, she still turns to Renn for comfort. But when a small patch of algae quickly becomes a harmful bloom, Annalise can no longer hear Renn, and the lake is closed. She and her friends must find a way to save the lake.

Writing from the perspectives of both the lake and Annalise, acclaimed author Michele Weber Hurwitz tells a sensitive and heartfelt story about community, activism, and fighting for the things you love.

Review Quotes

Winner of the Nature Generation Green Earth Book Award for Children's Fiction

"An earnest and disarming tale of human and environmental caring." --Kirkus Reviews

"A pleasant story touching on a variety of social issues, including adoption, gender identity, religious identity, families, and water ecology. A solid addition to middle grade collections." --School Library Journal

"Intertwined with Renn's unique narration and a meaningful human-nature connection, Hurwitz's book intersperses scientific facts about algae blooms and pollution with a story of activism and nature appreciation." --Publishers Weekly

"A meaningful and endearing story in this time when our planet needs us the most. A must-read." --Graham Salisbury, author of Banjo and the award-winning Under the Blood-Red Sun

"With great poignancy and a gentle hand, Hello from Renn Lake illuminates the deep connection between people and nature. Michele Weber Hurwitz's message is both tender and bold: Kids possess the initiative, courage and pluck to combat the impacts of global warming and take care of the natural world." --Ami Polonsky, author of Gracefully Grayson and Threads

About the Author

Michele Weber Hurwitz is the author of four other middle-grade novels, which have been on many state award lists and received several honors. She has lived in the Midwest for her entire life and has always loved spending time at Wisconsin's lakes. Sometimes she even hears one. Find Michele online at micheleweberhurwitz.com.