Review: Stone and Shell by Lloyd A. Meeker

Eight-year-old Howie Evinger is convinced that his dad would be happier if he found a new husband. Howie would be happier, too. And somewhere out there in the city of Vancouver, there's the right man for his dad to love. But how to find him? That’s a problem, especially if you’re just a kid and your dad says he doesn’t want another husband.

With the help of his quirky aunt, Shanna, who calls herself a Buddhist Wiccan, Howie builds his very own solstice altar with cool symbols to support his search. It has a candle, a feather, and a twisty stick, plus an agate for his dad, and a scallop shell for his new husband. Share Howie’s solstice adventure as he learns how real magic requires courage and patience as well as symbols.

Heartwarming and precious.

All Howie wanted was for his dad, David, to find a new husband. He knew that this would make his dad happier. Howie took matters into his own hands and (with the help of his Buddhist Wiccan aunt) built a solstice altar solely dedicated to his dad finding someone to love. He put all of his intention into this altar.

"His intention was stronger than the wind. It made him feel like a superhero."

And a superhero he was! My goodness, I loved this kid. I loved the precision and focus he had with his altar and intention. I really felt his love for his dad. It showed through his actions and the dedication he had for his dad's happiness.

When they first met Mike, Howie knew right away that Mike was meant to be his dad's new husband. With just the right amount of patience and pushiness, Howie helped make his dad happy again.

Although the entire story was told from Howie's POV, I loved the romance. There were only glimpses of Mike and David together, but it still left me with a smile on my face. And seeing it all through a child's eyes made the story absolutely precious. The author did a really nice job portraying Howie realistically. He had a good balance of naïvety and maturity. He's a likeable kid and I loved seeing this love story through his eyes.

For such a short book, Stone and Shell is emotional, heartwarming, and sweet. It's full of likeable and relateable characters that will pull on your heartstrings.

A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.

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