Summer of the Wolves

Summer of the Wolves is the first book in the Sisters in All Seasons series.

Publisher: Zondervan

Stepsisters, yes. Friends? Maybe…

Stephanie and Diana are having a hard time adjusting to life as new stepsisters.  The girls “pretend” to like each other, but it’s pretty hard considering they are complete opposites.  When their new family takes their first-ever vacation to a horse ranch in North Carolina, not even long horse-back rides in the forest can tame their tempers. Diana’s anger issues and Stephanie’s fear of everything prove disastrous, until Diana discovers the caged wolves in the deep woods. She vows to free them, and surprisingly, Stephanie agrees to help. But their actions have unforeseen consequences, and if there’s any chance to make things right, Stephanie and Diana must put their differences aside


 

Praise for Summer of the Wolves

Blended families that resist blending are a middle grade fiction staple, but this funny, gentle and compassionate story feels fresh, thanks to appealing, closely observed characters, both major and minor, and a compelling setting.

—Kirkus Reviews 


“Cleverly crafted and close to home for many modern families, 'Summer of the Wolves' is a great read! Lisa Williams Kline is a gifted storyteller, weaving themes of loyalty, popularity, and hierarchy into this tale for animal lovers.”

—The Dove Foundation


“Kline provides a glimpse into the life of a blended family. The characters are beautifully flawed and feel real-to-life and instantly relatable. Whether you identify with Diana, the standoffish loner who sees a therapist for mood issues, or Stephanie, the easygoing but prim girl afraid of the world, you’ll find a character to root for. Chapters alternate perspectives between Diana and Stephanie, allowing the reader to get behind the eyes of each."

“Parents can use Summer of the Wolves as a teaching tool on how to relate to kids who are dealing with divorce and blended families. At times the kids are jealous, feeling like their place in their parent’s life has been superseded by each other. The story shows a strong husband-and-wife team still figuring out what it means to be a family. They make mistakes, but they learn from them.”


“The target audience is definitely tween girls, especially those with soft spots for horses. The animal scenes are well detailed, showing that the author has done her research, which probably wasn’t too hard since her husband is a veterinarian. I ended up learning a fair amount about the animals without feeling like I was getting a biology lesson.”