This quite serious book alternates chapters, telling part of the story from Mitch's point of view, and then part from Spencer's, back and forth...
Mitch is 12. His parents are getting divorced and he is temporarily living with his mother at her parents house. His grandparents are not typical of children's books. They are adults who love him, but don't really know what to do with a child and are largely irritated that he's living with them at all. Mitch desperately wants to move, and he wants to move into the vacant house next door.
Spencer's family owns the vacant house next door. They had not visited their vacation home in years, ever since Spencer's older brother drowned in the lake there. But they come back.
At first, Mitch is desperate to figure out a way to run off the "intruders", but in time, he meets Spencer and his sister, Lilly, and a friendship develops.
There are many launching pads for discussions with young adults here. Serious issues. Death of a sibling. Divorce. Trust...
I was somewhat dissatisfied by the ending - which wasn't really an ending. This is one of those books that just stops when it's ready. But it's a well told tale.
(Hard to believe the author of this deeply serious book is the same who wrote Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse, Chrysanthemum, and Owen's Way, and more - all fun, silly, picture books for younger children.) ( )

Narrated by Oliver Wyman. Author Kevin Henkes has a lock on the inner emotional world of children. A quiet, inner-directed story. Unfortunately, the voices Wyman gave the adult women made them sound like ditzy girls. ( )

BORING! This is the description for the book.
Spencer thought the house might be haunted. Mitch knew it wasn't. And he knew why. The whole time Spencer and Mitch hung out together at Bird Lake that summer, there were secrets keeping them apart. And maybe a secret knowledge keeping them together, too--together like members of the same tribe. Like friends.
( )

Birk Lake Moon is the story of two boys and the summer they spent next door to each other at Bird Lake.  Mitch Sinclair is living with his rather rigid, not much fun, grandparents while his mother recovers from the trauma of her husband (Mitch's father) having just walked out on them to take up life with a younger girl-friend. No one seems to catch on that Mitch is grieving also. Spencer Stone arrives at his family's lake house several days after Mitch.  The Stones have owned the house for years, but have not returned for about 10 years since Mitch's little brother drowned there.  Spencer's parents aren't sure they can handle the memory, but want to try.  Spencer's little sister provides some delightful and typical little sister humor to the story.

The two boys meet, take a bit of time to decide whether to be friends, and discover that grief and loneliness is better handled with friends to help.   It's a beautiful book, written with great insight into the emotions young people often try to handle without the help of adults who may be too busy handling their own problems.  I think today's adults, both teen aged and older would enjoy this short but stunning novel. ( )

Mitch and Spencer both struggle with personal and family issues in their side-by-side houses at the lake. Henkes' mastery of language and story draws you in and holds you till the end. A quiet story with enough action to hold interest. ( )