The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

ISBN

9780063086166

Publisher & Publication Year

Heartdrum, 2022

Publisher's Book Page

Author

Jen Ferguson (Michif/Métis)

Author's Website 

Illustrator

Synopsis

Summary

Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She’ll be working in her family’s ice-cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend—whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort—and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word. But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists. While King’s friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.

Notable Achievements

Stonewall Honor Book; Lambda Literary Award; Governor General’s Literary Award for Young People's Literature – Text; William C. Morris Award Finalist

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Educator Guide

This guide to Indigenous literature, created by Andrea Page in association with Heartdrum, includes discussion questions for The Summer of Bitter and Sweet as well as a general introduction to the importance of Indigenous books.

Link to Guide

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