Bayou Pearls

In the cypress groves of the Mississippi backwaters, a thirteen-year-old Juniper wears a pearl pendant, made from one of two pearls her father harvested and gifted her mother the summer she was born. The other hangs around her mother's neck. Both are symbols of love, loss and the ache of missing him. When Juniper discovers a frightened child lost in the bayou, she becomes the protector instead of the protected. Drawing on the lessons her father taught her; she must keep them both safe through a long night of survival. But pearls are made from pain transformed into beauty, and sometimes healing means learning that love doesn't disappear, it merely changes shape. A luminous story of grief, courage, and found family. For readers ages 10-12 | Grades 6-7 Perfect for reluctant readers