My Grandma Hazel

<p><strong style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>My Grandma Hazel</strong><span style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)> is a heartwarming coming-of-age novel about twelve-year-old Jake Matelic a shy and imaginative boy from Michigan who struggles to find his place-at school in his family and within himself. On the verge of being sent to summer school Jake is given one last chance: write an essay about his hero. That assignment leads him to an unexpected spring break with his reclusive and sharp-tongued grandmother Hazel Romanowski-a woman he barely knows.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>What begins as an awkward visit quickly becomes a deal. Jake helps clean Hazel's cluttered home and in return she shares the story for Jake's essay of her own mother and hero Helena-a Polish teenager who fled an abusive home in 1911 and risked everything to start a new life in America. As Hazel recounts Helena's story Jake begins to see his family-and himself-through a new lens. He discovers that not all heroes wear capes; some carry scars make impossible choices and still find a way forward.</span></p><p><span style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>Told in a dual timeline that intertwines Jake's present-day challenges with Hazel's vivid retelling of Helena's past </span><em style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>Hazel</em><span style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)> is a tender exploration of family resilience and the quiet courage found in ordinary lives. Blending humor nostalgia and emotional depth this middle grade novel is perfect for fans of </span><em style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>Bridge to Terabithia</em><span style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)> </span><em style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>The Thing About Jellyfish</em><span style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)> and </span><em style=color: rgba(83 90 98 1); background-color: rgba(255 255 255 1)>The War That Saved My Life.</em></p>