Two teens in heartbreaking, scary situations come together to pursue a mutual challenge in Elaine Vickers' Half Moon Summer.  

     Drew was born in Half Moon Bay.  He's the son of a talented carpenter who expects to start working in his father's shop next summer when he turns 13.  This summer there's something off with his father who is exhibiting inexplicable clumsiness.  The something turns out to be Lou Gehrig's disease.

     Mia and her mother and brother have just arrived to stay at her grandmother's house.  Housing insecure all her life, they were drawing close to living in their first house, one her father was building.  Then her other grandmother becomes gravely ill, her father has to go help her, and Half Moon Bay is the only option for the rest of the family.  Now they are in danger of losing not only the house, but the chance of being together as a family.

     Basically novice runners, they sign on for the Half Moon Bay Half Marathon.  There's not a lot of time.  Training will be grueling.  But it's a challenge they're determined to overcome.

     The plot is highly engaging.  The characters are nuanced, complex, and believable.  The setting is captivating.  This fine book is perfect for perceptive juvenile and YA readers--especially for those facing potentially life altering challenges of their own and their friends.