The Language of Seabirds by Will Taylor is a book that perfectly captures both the fleeting joy and the emotional challenges of early adolescence. Twelve-year-old Jeremy is on a summer vacation in a beautiful seaside town in Oregon, but it’s been a rough summer so far. Just as he was working up the courage to come out to his parents, they announced that they are separating and Jeremy lost his nerve. Now, he’s staying with his dad in a house by the beach while his mom moves out, and his dad gets increasingly short-tempered and dependent on drinking. But, one bright spot of the vacation is Evan, the gorgeous boy who goes for runs along the beach. He and Jeremy start hanging out together, creating a secret language using the names of birds they see by the beach. As their feelings for each other grow, Jeremy’s home life gets more difficult. A gentle story of summer romance that also deals with the way parent/child relationships adapt to change. (Middle-Grade Books)