Guest Spotlight: Donna Galanti: Book Release for Loon Cove Summer

 

We're excited to host Donna Galanti this week, talking about her book release for Loon Cove Summer. Lizzy posted her review on Monday, and today we'll learn more about this new middle grade book. Take it away, Donna!

Why I Wrote a Novel for Kids About Birds

If you can guess by the title of my new middle-grade novel, Loon Cove Summer is a book about loons—and other birds. I love loons and raptors (the hawk is my spirit bird after all!) and this is why they both play a big part in my story. They are such different kinds of birds. Raptors soar the skies and loons soar on water. 

I’m drawn to the fierce majesty of all types of raptors … owls, hawks, falcons, and eagles. Thirteen-year-old Sarah, the main character in my story, also loves raptors and spends her time volunteering at a raptor rehabilitation center. 

I volunteer too with the National Audubon Society, which strives to conserve and restore habitats of birds. I assist with school programs to help young people discover the wonder of nature, birds, and biodiversity through hands-on learning and bird ambassadors.

I’m also excited (and nervous!) to become trained in bird handling to present bird ambassadors at events—like Odin, the great horned owl here! These ambassadors are birds that have been injured and deemed non-releasable back into the wild. Fact: Most wild bird injuries are caused by human interaction like collisions with cars, buildings, boats, windows, and fishing lines.

When I kayak on lakes, the call of the loon has always drawn me to these ancient birds. Their haunting cries touch me to the core with their primitive song. Loons have been around for at least 35 million years, making them one of the oldest bird families. In Loon Cove Summer, Sarah also loves loons and has taken up the conservation fight to address the plight of them disappearing on her local lake. 

My hope with Loon Cove Summer is to appeal to young nature lovers, adventure seekers, and fans of environmental causes—and empower kids to be their own heroes. Steeped in friendship, family, and the great outdoors, I also wish for this story to inspire kids to build strong connections with the natural world.

And birds are everywhere around us, not just in the natural world, yet we often don’t notice them. They live in every environment. In cities, meadows, forests, deserts, swamps, and suburban neighborhoods. Birds are so critical to our world. Since the beginning of human time on Earth, they’ve lifted our eyes to the skies. They eat harmful insects and rodents, indicate changes in habitats, and best of all, they entertain us with melody and color!

In my research for Loon Cove Summer, I loved learning more about loons. Here are 8 fun facts about them:

1. Loons can dive up to 200 feet and swim underwater for five minutes. 

2. In the summertime adult loons have red eyes, but in the winter their eyes are reddish-brown.

3. Loons live long, twenty to thirty years.

4. The four basic loon calls are: hoots, wails, tremolos, yodels.

5. Loons build nests on shorelines, so they are vulnerable to predators and flooding.

6. Loons eat up to two lbs. of fish a day!

7. Adult loons are patient. They wait until their sixth or seventh year to have chicks.

8. Loons are most vocal at night when they are hidden from the world. They get to speak their heart under cover of darkness. Lucky.

I hope if you read Loon Cove Summer that it inspires you to seek out the call of the loon—and seek more birds in your life. Take the time to go outside, look up, and be inspired by birds all around you for they fill our world with beauty and song.

About Loon Cove Summer:

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Richardson is determined that her life will finally get unstuck this summer. She just knows it. Her to-do list? Brave the lake again. Save the loons. Stop missing Mom. Her one bright spot: volunteering at the local wild bird rehabilitation center. The summer looks even brighter when Sarah meets Theo, the boy staying at her family’s Maine lakeside campground who cares about protecting the loons just like she does. But when Sarah’s family may have to move, she adds a new to-do item: save their home. And when she suspects Dad is dating Theo’s aunt, the naturalist helping research environmental dangers to the loons, Sarah is caught in a new world of grief. With the looming reality of losing her dad, her home, and the loons, Sarah must make a big statement to take control of her life. Capturing inspiration from her late mother’s Appalachian Trail hiking journal, she boldly plans a solo wild adventure. But as her challenges mount, she wonders if her courage will earn her the voice she seeks—or if she’s made a reckless choice that just might claim her life.

You can order Loon Cove Summer here in hardcover, paperback, or eBook from your favorite bookstore!

Praise for Loon Cove Summer:

“A warm-hearted novel that balances profound loss with humor and hope.”

– Kate Allen, author of The Line Tender

“As sparkling, refreshing, and mysterious as a Maine lake in summertime.”

– Cathy Carr, author of 365 Days to Alaska

“An original and fun read from start to finish … unreservedly recommended.”

– Midwest Book Review

Donna Galanti is the author of two middle-grade book series, Unicorn Island and Joshua and the Lightning Road, and the paranormal suspense Element Trilogy for adults. She has lived in fun locations including England, her family-owned campground in New Hampshire, and in Hawaii where she served as a U.S. Navy photographer. Donna is an avid outdoor adventurer and nature lover. She volunteers for the Old-Growth Forest Network and the National Audubon Society. When Donna’s not wandering the woods seeking magic and wonder, you can usually find her biking or kayaking. For more information on her books, school visits, and events, visit her at: www.donnagalanti.com.

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