Told in alternating voices, this smart and engaging middle grade novel from the beloved Kevin Henkes is the story of two boys coming together in friendship as they struggle with family conflicts and tragedy.

There are ghosts at Bird Lake, and they're haunting Mitch and Spencer. Not the Halloween kind, but ghosts of the past. Memories of how life was before—before the divorce, before the accident. Can their ghosts bring Mitch and Spencer together, as friends? Or will their secrets keep them apart?

Mitch feels isolated at his grandparents’ house and can’t help hating his father, who walked out on him and his mom two and a half weeks earlier. Spencer’s family has decided it’s finally time to return to Bird Lake, years after his brother, Matty, drowned there. Both boys arrive at the lake scarred and fragile, but as they become friends, the sharp edges of their lives smooth out and, slowly, they are able to start healing.

“Superbly crafted. A ‘must have’ for every library.” —School Library Journal (starred review)

“In a novel as tender as his acclaimed Olive’s Ocean, Henkes probes the psyches of two boys facing family conflicts.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Two boys arrive at the same lake, each haunted by a different ghost. Can an unexpected friendship help them face the past?

Dual POV Storytelling: See the summer unfold through the eyes of both Mitch and Spencer as their separate stories of heartache and hope converge at the lake.
Dealing with Divorce: For Mitch, summer at his grandparents’ house is a lonely exile after his father suddenly leaves, sparking a quiet anger he doesn’t know how to handle.
Grief and Loss: Spencer’s family returns to Bird Lake for the first time since his brother drowned, forcing them all to confront a tragedy that has silently shaped their lives.
An Unlikely Friendship: Scarred and fragile, the two boys are initially wary of each other, but a shared sense of being haunted slowly draws them together, paving the way for healing.

Bird Lake Moon

Bird Lake Moon