This heart tugging book came close to making me cry. Peter Stone and his dysfunctional family move to the middle of nowhere in Texas. His family is hoping the move would be good for Peter. Peter just wanted to be himself and keep to himself. So he's a little quiet and weird.

Peter would go exploring and found a magical valley along with a special wish girl (a recipient of the Make-a-Wish foundation) This creative artist is the only one who gets him and dying of cancer.

This book was a tough read at times - in a good way. The family fought a lot and it was tough to stomach. For a children's book the bullies were especially mean.

I can see why this book is so highly rated on Goodreads and I whole-heartedly agree.
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Children's middlegrade fiction; magical realism (suicidal kids, leukemia kids, individuality, bullying, standing up for oneself, communicating with parents == both main characters are about 12 years old, I think). I applaud Nikki Loftin for once again providing us with a story with incidental diversity (Annie is brown-skinned, but her race isn't a focus of the story). I liked this one better than Nightingale's Nest, and even though I cried during the penultimate chapter (or thereabouts), I don't feel particularly invested in these characters--I don't care that much to find out what happens next in their lives, or anything like that. But the story was OK, and I like the character development of Peter. It's just really awful that this world, where a 12-year-old can be bullied to the point of suicidal thoughts, is all too real for kids these days. ( )

Unlike his boisterous, quarreling family, 12-year-old Peter Stone is quiet, thoughtful, sensitive, artistic and misunderstood. After his father loses his job and they move from the city to remote Texas Hill Country, he escapes daily to a magic lonely valley where he can be at one with nature, away from the crying and yelling. On one of his trips to the valley he meets a unique girl named Anne who tells him she’s a “wish girl” attending a special nearby camp. She has cancer and wants to avoid the upcoming dangerous cancer treatment which may damage her brain but could possibly save her life. This wonderful tween book by Nikki Loftin is as unique as her others: beautiful prose and a story about the power of friendship that is full of hope, wishes, stars and perhaps a little magic.

Sharyn H. / Marathon County Public Library
Find this book in our library catalog.

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Peter is a quiet boy in a loud family. He believes that no one will listen to him and no one understands him. Who he is, is not enough for his parents or his older sister. They all want him to be something else.
After moving to a remote area in the Texas wilderness, Peter finds a magical valley, where he feels peaceful and at home. At first, he is upset that there is a girl, about his age, who is also coming to the valley. She spoils it by her presence. But he learns that she is dying of cancer, and soon they become the closest of friends.
I have probably rated this book higher than most, partly because I can relate to Peter extremely well, having often felt as he does. And partly because I always longed for a friend like Annie.
I hold back slightly from a five star only because the two villains, the delinquent children Doug and Jake, are also a bit too real to me. They are just a bit too realistic and too horrible in their badness.
But, I loved the book. It struck a personal tone with me. ( )

A dying girl and misunderstood boy learn about openness and the importance of loving people for who they are. There are a lot of artistic motifs in this book. The mother is completely grotesque and self-centered. When asked about cancer, she says "That is a mother's worst nightmare" completely refocusing the conversation on her and ignoring her emotionally needy son. This is a great book for male readers who actually have feelings- it isn't overly sappy. Cancer should make you feel something, right? ( )