The Secret Hum of a Daisy

Written by Tracy Holczer

Narrated by Sandy Rustin

Grace and her mom have always had each other, traveling around just the two
of them. But Grace wants more—she dreams of a place to call home. Just when
she thinks they’ve found it, though, tragedy strikes.
Grace is sent to live with her grandmother, who she’s never met, in a town
she’s never visited. As she begins to learn more about her mother’s family and her
hometown, Grace starts noticing signs of her mother almost everywhere she
looks. And so she sets off on a treasure hunt, sure that her mother is sending clues
to show her the way home.
But where can home be for someone who has never really had one?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Mar 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781705035603

Reviews for The Secret Hum of a Daisy

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow to a debut novel with Newbery quality!
The book begins as Grace, twelve years old, is trying to will herself to walk up to her mother's coffin so she can lay a gardenia on the smooth brown wood. Grace has been placed in the care of a grandmother she has never met. When Grace's mama was seventeen, She finds herself pregnant. What does a mother do? She puts her on a bus to stay with a Texas relative. But gets off the bus in California and never contacted her mother again. Now, after mamas sudden and tragic death, Grace, angry and devastated, is left to figure out a brand new life. This touching story of a tender twelve year old girl living with a grandmother she thinks doesn't want her leads the reader on a poignant and heartfelt journey.

[amberegan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story details the emotions of a young girl as she copes with the death of her mother and the transitions to her new home with her maternal grandmother from whom who mother with estranged from since before the young girl's birth. The emotions described are deep and raw. The young girl, Grace, struggles with forming a relationship with her grandmother and feelings of disloyalty towards her mom. This story serves as a good reminder to adults about the baggage that we saddle our children with when we do not resolve the issues we have with another family member. It also is a good reminder too that we should think about our words and actions at time of great personal sorrow remembering that someone's death is never just felt by any one person, that others too are affected. Every parent faced with a pregnant teenager should heed this tale of caution. I can personally attest to a lifetime of anger and deep hurt felt by friends who became pregnant at 18 years of age when their parent(s) spoke words stemming from disappointment. It is very simple: we often do not get to determine how and when someone will enter and leave our lives so it behooves us to choose our words wisely.

[brainannex · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

My favorite kind of story where the main character is hardened or blind and then slowly he or she melts a bit to come to an understanding. A lovely story with a great older, imperfect character.