The quest to save the words of a dying language-and to find the words to save what may be a dying friendship-lies at the heart of this exquisite verse novel.
Sixth grader Betsy is the one who informs her best friend, Lizard, that thousands of the world's languages are currently threatened by extinction; Betsy's mother is a linguistics professor working frantically to study dying languages before they are lost forever. But it is Lizard who, gripped by the magnitude of this loss, challenges Betsy, 'What if, instead of WRITING about dying languages, like your mom, you and I SAVED one instead?'
As the girls embark on their quest to learn as much as possible of the near-extinct language of Guernesiais (spoken on the Isle of Guernsey, off the coast of France), their friendship faces unexpected strains. With Lizard increasingly obsessed with the language project, Betsy begins to seek greater independence from her controlling and charismatic friend, as well as from her controlling and charismatic mother. Then tragedy threatens Betsy's life beyond what any words can express, and Lizard does something unthinkable.
Maybe lost friendships, like lost languages, can never be completely saved.
Talented children's author Claudia Mills pens this inspiring story about one boy's quest for independence. Oliver Olson's teacher wants her students to come up with one idea to change the world. Oliver doubts he'll think up anything great, since his overprotective parents never let him think for himself. But completing a science project-without his parents' help-makes him realize that he may have one great idea after all. "An engaging and thought-provoking chapter book."-Booklist
The two things that Wilson Williams likes best about 3rd grade are drawing and taking care of the class pet, Squiggles the hamster. What he likes the least are timed multiplication tests. Why think about all those numbers when he could be drawing pictures of Squiggles? With gentle humor, Claudia Mills works through a common childhood problem to a surprising resolution.
