After her grampa dies, the last place Libby expects to see him is sitting on the edge of her bed. But that’s what happens the night after the funeral.
Even more surprising is that Grampa has three important things to tell her: first, that she isn’t alone or forgotten—“The dead ain’t never that far from the living,” he says; second, that she has “the Sight”—the ability to see family members who have died; and third, that there is something special just for her in the lake. Something that could help her and her father—if she can find it.
Libby and Grampa try to help her father heal from his grief, but it will take all of Libby’s courage and her gift of Sight to convince her father that the dead are never truly gone.
Never That Far is set in the lush, rural landscape of central Florida and is a story that celebrates friendship, hope, and the power of family love.
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“Libby is a likable character who is a vital part of healing her father’s enormous grief as well as her own. Though the story, set in Florida in 1967, is about death and grieving, Williams presents these themes in a sweet and positive light with a focus on family and healing. Verdict: A good read for historical assignments and short enough that it may be an attraction for reluctant readers.”
— Library Journal
“Williams’ story of a twelve-year-old girl fighting to maintain her family connections is sprinkled with a gentle dose of magical realism that is both real and magical.”
— Chris Crowe, award-winning author of Getting Away with MurderBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Carol Lynch Williams is an award-winning novelist with an MFA in writing for children and young adults from Vermont College. She has won the prestigious PEN/Phyllis Naylor Working Writer Fellowship. The Chosen One was named one of the ALA’s Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers and Best Books for Young Adult Readers and was featured on numerous lists of recommended YA fiction. Her other novels include Never That Far, Messenger, Glimpse, Miles from Ordinary, The Haven, Waiting, and the Just in Time series.
Erin Spencer is an Audie Award nominated narrator. She has numerous films, TV shows, and voice work to her credit, including appearances on True Detective, 9-1-1, Rizzoli & Isles, and Code Black. Besides reading, she loves dining out, hip-hop dance classes, and DIY projects.