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Critically Recognized
  • Backwater by Joan Bauer book cover
  • Backwater by Joan Bauer book cover
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Backwater

by Joan Bauer

A family mystery in the Adirondacks

$13.38 USD
$22.30 USD $13.38 USD
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Paperback New English

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Awards & Recognition

  • Critical praise

    School Library Journal praise

    Attributed review praises the engaging characters, light love interest, dramatic tension, and well-paced plot.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A family mystery in the Adirondacks

Ivy Breedlove feels hemmed in by her family’s expectations and sets out to learn about the aunt who departed from the family mold. An Adirondacks journey, accompanied by a mountain guide, gives this young adult story a concrete route into questions of family history, belonging, and self-understanding. The search is both personal and intergenerational: uncovering the story of a largely unspoken relative may help Ivy make sense of her own place among the Breedloves.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Teen and young adult readers interested in stories about family relationships and expectations.
  • Readers who enjoy a journey built around uncovering a family mystery.
  • Readers interested in multigenerational family themes and an Adirondacks setting.

Themes

Family expectationsBelonging and self-understandingIntergenerational family historyA search for an elusive relative

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

From the author Newbery Honor winner Hope Was Here comes a story of a girl who takes herself on a journey through the Adirondacks in the name of family.

"Bauer's characters crackle with eccentricity and exhibit glimmers of intense emotion."--Publishers Weekly

"Rich with engaging characters, a light love interest, and dramatic tension in a well-paced plot, this is another great read from Bauer."--School Library Journal

Ivy is on a quest . . .

Stuck in a family overflowing with lawyers, Ivy Breedlove longs to be understood, to break free of unfair expectations, and to find the truth about the mysterious hermit aunt who broke the family mold--the relative no one will talk about. With an outrageous mountain guide leading the way, Ivy sets out on the journey of a lifetime to find the missing link in the Breedlove family. But is she too late?
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