Letting Swift River Go

Written by Jane Yolen and Barbara Cooney

A young girl witnesses her hometown's transformation into a reservoir.

4.2 Goodreads · 696 ratings

32 pages· 1,065 words· Est. 9 min read-aloud· 860L

$8.99Save 5%

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Bookroo's summary

Sally Jane's world is upended as her beloved Swift River town is submerged to create the Quabbin Reservoir. From playing by the Old Stone Mill to floating above her childhood roads, she navigates the profound changes in rural America. As her community is dismantled and drowned, Sally Jane must grapple with the loss of her home and the relentless march of progress. Will she find a way to preserve her memories amidst the rising waters? Discover the poignant journey of a girl caught between the past and an uncertain future.

From the publisher

In the middle of this century, the Swift River towns in western Massachusetts were drowned - purchased by the government and flooded in order to form the Quabbin Reservoir. “Letting Swift River Go” tells of this dramatic event through the eyes of a young girl, Sally Jane, as she watches her thriving hometown transformed into a wilderness and then submerged. Sally Jane’s story vividly recalls life and changing times in rural America: playing by the Old Stone Mill and later watching it be torn down; harvesting maple sap and seeing those same trees uprooted; walking to school along a winding balcktop road and returning many years later to float above the same road in a rowboat on the new reservoir.

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