Booktalk #1

Told in alternating perspectives, the stories of a small dog named Baby and Piper, a young homeless girl, are interwoven, bringing their worlds together.

Baby’s person, Jewell, is homeless and lives in the local park. As winter sets in, Jewell refuses the warmth of the local shelter, which does not allow animals. Twelve-year-old Piper and her family are recent residents of the family shelter.

As Piper adjusts to her new life, she realizes many are less fortunate. Piper uses her investigative skills to discover the fate of Jewell after she disappears leaving Baby behind.

Stay is a gripping story that grapples with homelessness, mental illness, loss, and love.

Follow the journey woven throughout these pages to discover how love and loyalty can prevail.  (New Hampshire Great Stone Face Award, 2021)

Booktalk #2

Piper's life is turned upside down when her family moves into a shelter in a whole new city. She misses her house, her friends, and her privacy-and she hates being labeled the homeless girl at her new school. Piper tries to look for the silver-lining in her shelter, Hope House. Piper finds friends in the Firefly Girls Troop 423. She also finds a sweet street dog named Baby. Piper soon realizes that Baby needs help. But helping means finding the courage to trust herself and her new friends, no matter what anyone says about them-before Baby gets taken away for good. Told in the alternating perspectives of Piper and Baby, this uplifting friendship tale celebrates the importance of hope, the power of story, and the true meaning of home.  (Pennsylvania Young Reader’s Choice Award 2021-2022)