My Grandma Hazel

<p><strong>My Grandma Hazel</strong> 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>Told in a dual timeline that intertwines Jake's present-day challenges with Hazel's vivid retelling of Helena's past <em>Hazel</em> 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 <em>Bridge to Terabithia</em> <em>The Thing About Jellyfish</em> and <em>The War That Saved My Life</em>.</p>