Just a Drop of Water

A touching middle grade story about a boy trying to process the events of September 11 and how they impact his friendships

Jake wants to be a soldier and wants to outsmart his school's rival cross country team

After September 11, Jake is torn between defending his best friend and standing with his
parents

In this story about growing up in a difficult part of America's history, Jake Green is introduced as a cross country runner who wants to be a soldier and am American hero when he grows up. Before he can work far towards these goals, September 11th happens, and it is discovered that one of the hijackers lives in Jake's town. The children in Jake's town try to process everything, but they struggle. Jake's classmate Bobby beats up Jake's best friend, Sam Madina, just for being an Arab Muslim.

According to his own code of conduct, Jake wants to fight Bobby for messing with his best friend. The situation gets more complicated when Sam's father is detained and interrogated by the FBI. Jake's mother doubts Sam's father's innocence. Jake must choose between believing his parents and leaving Bobby alone or defending Sam.
Winner of the Crystal Kite Award, this beautiful story covers classic middle grade issues. What does it mean to be a good friend? How do you react to a bully? This story makes the events of September 11th even more personal for one boy and draws the readers into his life.
Sky Pony Press, with our Good Books, Racehorse and Arcade imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of books for young readers - picture books for small children, chapter books, books for middle grade readers, and novels for young adults. Our list includes bestsellers for children who love to play Minecraft; stories told with LEGO bricks; books that teach lessons about tolerance, patience, and the environment, and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.


Genre: Children's Fiction