An ALA Notable Book
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017
"Striking, enigmatic, and haunting all around." --Booklist (starred
review)
"A suspenseful, realistic, finely crafted story exploring friendship,
trust, and how we judge others." --Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Newbery Honor winner Janet Taylor Lisle's novel about a pivotal summer
in two girls' lives explores the convictions we form, the judgments we
make, and the values we hold.
The pond is called Quicksand Pond.
It's a shadowy, hidden place, full of chirping, shrieking, croaking
life. It's where, legend has it, people disappear. It's where scrappy
Terri Carr lives with her no-good family. And it's where twelve-year-old
Jessie Kettel is reluctantly spending her summer vacation.
Jessie meets Terri on a raft out in the water, and the two become fast
friends. On Quicksand Pond, Jessie and Terri can be lost to the outside
world--lost until they want to be found. But a tragedy that occurred
many decades ago has had lingering effects on this sleepy town, and
especially on Terri Carr. And the more Jessie learns, the more she
begins to question her new friendship--and herself.