The Summer Kitchen

SandraKaye Darden doesn't need another thing to worry about. Her adopted son Jake has run away, her husband seems distracted, and her son Christopher is growing up and edging away. Then the call comes, SandraKaye needs to return to Poppy's house. Her grandfather's home had been a place of family and refuge and his sudden death has left her feeling empty and hurt. Now, when she needs her family to pull together, they are all moving in different directions and she has to face selling Poppy's house and letting go of her happy family memories. Returning to the small, worn out house in a run down area of Dallas is just a reminder of better times and it seems impossible for Sandrakaye to let it go. Ignoring the suggestions of the Realtor just to dump the property, she decides to put some fresh paint into the place and then think about selling. Little does she know that the small house is still providing refuge to people in the neighborhood. Cass Blue is trying to keep things together for her and her younger brother. Since ditching foster care Cass has been on the move trying to find the two of them a home. One day a woman shows up with some free sandwiches and Cass dares to hope that life will be good. Though the neighborhood is down on its luck, there are people who give and who try to make their community a better place, like the book lady. Cass and Rusty can always find a book and moments of normal childhood within the walls of her store. But there is always danger....after all Poppy hadn't been safe in his neighborhood. Lisa Wingate has returned with the second installment in the Blue Sky trilogy. Keeping true to the theme, the characters return to an older part of Dallas and the people who live or have passed through the neighborhood. The characters are well written and have a depth that makes the reader want to invest time in these people and dare to hope that their lives will work out. Characters who were first introduced in A Month of Summer, return, subtly interwoven into the story line. I picked up this book and did not put it down until I had reached the end. I loved it....and can't wait for the third installment.

I love Lisa Wingates stories, they are so inspirational and usually surprising in their outcomes. She was able to solve the problems of Sandra Kaye and Cass Blue in the story about a wonderful old house that belonged to a beloved uncle Poppy. I had never heard of a summer kitchen before. Lisa's ability to tell about friendships, hardships and get you, the reader, involved with her characters are so great. The story also brings attention to how children survive when their parents aren't around and how much it means to have God in your life.

Lisa Wingate has turned out another wonderful book. I love her way of making us see what is important in life, simple writing, yet with a profound message. If you have liked her other books, you will certainly enjoy this one. Happy reading.

Once again, Lisa Wingate writes a beautiful story of everyday people, mixes in life lessons, wonderful quotes, and demonstrates that ordinary people can do extraordinary things. I often refer to her as the most inspirational writer of our time. I love how she always makes the reader think about others, and how the events happening in one's life will often change our outlook for the better. This is a story about a successful Dr's wife that one day sees life through the eyes of seemingly forgotten children. With a loaf of bread, and some peanut butter and jelly, the people and the story are knit together beautifully. Excellent read.

The Summer Kitchen is Lisa Wingate's new exciting and inspirational book! It is one of those straight through books-Can't put it down until finished. Seventeen year old Rusty and his twelve year old sister, Cass Salley Blue, runaway from home just after their mother's funeral, to avoid foster care. Barely earning enough to keep a place to live and food on the table, they end up in a dilapidated apartment in a struggling section of Dallas. SandraKaye Darden is preparing her deceased uncle's little red house for sale. The house is located near Cass and Rusty's apartment. The Summer Kitchen is laced with inspirational quotes. Cass Salley Blue: "Some lady told me once that when you don't like where you are, you could close your eyes and think of the place you'd rather be...If you believed it enough she said, it'd be just like you were there. A mind trip she called it." "If the mountain's big, you gotta dream bigger, Cass Salley Blue. Nothing is impossible if you've got enough faith. You remember that." Cass Salley Blue and Opel in her new "tshoos" will be long remembered! This is a very special book by an extraordinary author! A book that hopefully makes it to the movies soon. I highly recommend "the Summer Kitchen"! Ed