The Summer We Found the Baby

By Amy Hest

A mysterious baby unites a community and changes lives during a pivotal summer in WWII Long Island.

3.5/5 Goodreads · 500 ratings

192 pages· 16,549 words· Est. 2.5 hour read

$16.99Save 6%

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Bookroo's summary

In WWII Long Island, Julie Sweet and her sister discover a baby on library steps, sparking a summer of intrigue. As Bruno Ben-Eli follows Julie, suspecting her of kidnapping, the truth unfolds in unexpected ways. Through three perspectives, this heartwarming tale reveals how a baby can bring hope and unite a community, challenging perceptions and forging new bonds. What secrets will this summer reveal, and how will it change the lives of those involved?

From the publisher

Set during World War II, this poignant, briskly paced historical novel relays the events of one extraordinary summer from three engaging points of view. On the morning of the dedication of the new children’s library in Belle Beach, Long Island, eleven-year-old Julie Sweet and her six-year-old sister, Martha, find a baby in a basket on the library steps. At the same time, twelve-year-old Bruno Ben-Eli is on his way to the train station to catch the 9:15 train into New York City. He is on an important errand for his brother, who is a soldier overseas in World War II. But when Bruno spies Julie, the same Julie who hasn’t spoken to him for sixteen days, heading away from the library with a baby in her arms, he has to follow her. Holy everything, he thinks. Julie Sweet is a kidnapper. Of course, the truth is much more complicated than the children know in this heartwarming and beautifully textured family story by award-winning author Amy Hest. Told in three distinct voices, each with a different take on events, the novel captures the moments and emotions of a life-changing summer – a summer in which a baby gives a family hope and brings a community together.

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