Speaking of Snapdragons

When Heather finds out that Marshall's mom is getting remarried, she feels pretty sorry for herself. Marshall Benedict isn't just the boy next door. He is Heather's friend, and he has been ever since she can remember. Marshall is "fatherless," just like Heather. Now Heather has to listen to him bragging about Superdad. Her friend Lisa's away for a month's vacation, and with her mom busy at work, the summer days are long and lonely. Even her annual attempt to plant a flower garden is heading for disaster because, as a gardener, Heather has a purple thumb. But then Heather meets Duffy, the old man who lives up on the hill. The neighbors say he's crazy, but in Duffy Heather finds a friend. Besides, he has the most beautiful garden she's ever seen. Duffy understands flowers—he even talks to them!—but more important, he understands Heather. Readers will enjoy the wit and perceptiveness that have made Sheila Hayes a favorite of young people—and be delighted by this story of an eleven-year-old who works her way through a season of change to find that—when it comes to keeping friendships blooming—she has a green thumb after all.