Pajama Press

Written in light and lyrical free verse, a warm and wistful novel about the hard and beautiful truths of growing up and growing into one’s own ability to shape the world.

Eleven-year-old Bailey believes in miracles. She has to; it will take a miracle to keep her warring parents together. This summer they are at a Marriage Counselling camp, leaving Bailey and her little brother Kevin with their estranged grandmother in the island town of Felicity Bay. There, an eccentric deposed minister makes a prophecy that a stranger from the sea will change everything. When Bailey discovers a mermaid-shaped piece of driftwood, she begins to believe that the mermaid is this stranger from the sea. Then, when a dolphin becomes stranded on the beach, Bailey forgets her own troubles and rouses the reluctant locals into action. United for the first time in years, the community works together to dig a channel and lead the stranded dolphin back to the bay. Inspired by her part in this collective act of heroism, Bailey finds new faith that her future will somehow work out, with the love of her now extended family.

A moving debut from British Columbia author Shari Green.

Awards & Honours:
2018 Chocolate Lily Book Award: Novels nominee
2018 Rocky Mountain Book Award for Fiction nominee
2018 Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award nominee
2017 White Ravens selection
2017 SCBWI Crystal Kite finalist
2017 Best Books for Kids & Teens Starred Selection
2016 Resource Links “The Year’s Best”

Reviews:
“Dialogue written in italics, along with spacing between speakers, renders the narrative accessible and immediate to readers… Recommend this lovely and poignant novel to middle grade readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories.”—School Library Journal

“The author’s lyrical free verse smoothly alternating between thoughts, descriptions, and dialogue, paints an atmospheric picture of a little beach community and its idiosyncratic people from eleven-year-old Bailey’s point of view….Both funny and heart-breaking, this verse novel with its imaginative metaphors follows a spunky heroine as she slowly comes to peace with the fact that the world follows its own course.”—The White Ravens 2017 Catalogue

“This title is written in free verse, with dialogue written in italics and spacing used to indicate new voices. All of these techniques enhance the rich descriptions of the ocean setting and present a realistic story to the reader. Recommended.”—School Library Connection

“Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles tackles some serious problems common among kids today….Not everything can be fixed, but sharing a problem with someone who loves us makes it easier to bear….[A]n excellent choice for thoughtful middle-grade readers and would make a valuable addition to a school or classroom library. It’s also a fine complement to the verse novels of K.A. Holt, and a stepping stone to the work of authors like Sonya Sones, Virginia Euwer Wolff, and Martine Leavitt.”—Resource Links

“Told in verse-novel form, Green’s writing is captivatingly visual, with seamless inclusions of figurative language. As with many other verse-novels, a first-person narrative, told from the present tense, makes the story immediate and compelling…”—CM Magazine

“Writing in verse, Green aptly captures the journey of a girl faced with her first real heartbreak—the likely dissolution of her family. Bailey’s openness to confronting her reality while still believing in the extraordinary adds to her charm, as does her growing realization that heartache affects many others in her life as well.”—Canadian Children’s Book News

Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles is Shari Green’s debut novel but it is an accomplished story in form and content worthy of a seasoned writer….Balancing structure with plot is complicated. Yet Shari Green dives right in, creating characters and circumstances that effortlessly carry the reader from beginning to end on waves of sentiments, some fearful, most benevolent, all heartfelt. Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles is in itself a miracle…”—CanLit for LittleCanadians

“This novel in verse is beautifully written. It is sure to find many fans in the middle grades, and would make a terrific read-aloud for the first few weeks of school while teachers are trying to inspire community spirit within their own classrooms.”—Sal’s Fiction Addiction

“This book is a delight from start to finish.”—The Crimson Review of Children’s and YA Literature

“What I Loved: Well, lots of things! In no particular order, I loved the language….I loved how all the conflicts were not favorably resolved. Just like real life. I loved how island life was a natural part of the story. Highly recommended for the middle grader in your life.”—Barrie Summy

“Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles by Shari Green is just delightful….Green’s writing has whimsy and heart…Whimsical, hopeful and at times bittersweet, I highly recommend Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles.”—Bookish Notions

“I was impressed at how easily the author developed such unforgettable characters using free verse, all while building a great plot with excellent pacing. I know I would have loved this book as a tween, and I highly recommend it. It’s delightful and poignant and one of my favorite books so far of 2017.”—Library of Clean Reads

“Heart-wrenching, powerful, memorable! This book is sure to win its way into the hearts of so many young readers.”—Literary Locker

“[I]t is a way to gently explore some of the changes many children face today.”—Moon Shine Art Spot

“[A] wonderful, poignant book…I strongly recommend this to all who love the sea, and families, and miracles….Five stars out of five!”—My Comfy Chair

“This lovely book deserves a far wider readership than the middle-grade audience to which it is being marketed. Don’t miss this one.”—The Write Stuff

Save