Claire Swinarski

Twelve-year-old Kate becomes the face of an anti-bullying movement after a heroic act goes viral, but her world is turned upside-down when the truth about her involvement is revealed.

The Kate in Between

Armed with a Crock-Pot and a pile of recipes, a grandmother, her granddaughter, and a mysterious young man work to bring a community together in this uplifting novel for readers of The Chicken Sisters. Esther Larson has been cooking for funerals in the Northwoods of Wisconsin for seventy years. Known locally as the "funeral ladies," she and her cohort have worked hard to keep the mourners of Ellerie County fed--it is her firm belief that there is very little a warm casserole and a piece of cherry pie can't fix. But, after falling for an internet scam that puts her home at risk, the proud Larson family matriarch is the one in need of help these days. Iris, Esther's whip-smart Gen Z granddaughter, would do anything for her family and her community. As she watches her friends and family move out of their lakeside town onto bigger and better things, Iris wonders why she feels so left behind in the place she is desperate to make her home. But when Cooper Welsh shows up, she finally starts to feel like she's found the missing piece of her puzzle. Cooper is dealing with becoming a legal guardian to his younger half-sister after his beloved stepmother dies. While their celebrity-chef father is focused on his booming career and top-ranked television show, Cooper is still hurting from a public tragedy he witnessed last year as a paramedic and finding it hard to cope. With Iris in the gorgeous Ellerie County, though, he hopes he might finally find the home he's been looking for. It doesn't seem like a community cookbook could possibly solve their problems, especially one where casseroles have their own section and cream of chicken soup mix is the most frequently used ingredient. But when you mix the can-do spirit of Midwestern grandmothers with the stubborn hope of a boy raised by food plus a dash of long-awaited forgiveness--things might just turn out okay. Includes Recipes

The Funeral Ladies of Ellerie County

In this heartfelt and accessible middle grade novel perfect for fans of The Thing About Jellyfish, a young girl throws herself into solving a local mystery to keep from missing her older sister, who has been sent to an eating disorder treatment facility. Astronomy-obsessed Abby McCourt should be thrilled about the solar eclipse her small town of Moose Junction is about to witness, but she's not. After her older sister Blair was sent away for an eating disorder, Abby has been in a funk. Desperate to dull the pain her sister's absence has left, she teams up with a visiting astronomer to help track down his long-lost telescope. Though this is supposed to take Abby's mind off the distance between her and Blair, what she finds may bring her closer to her sister than she ever thought possible.

What Happens Next

What Happened to Rachel Riley?

A Catholic Feminist's Invitation to Live Boldly, Love Your Faith, and Change the World

Girl, Arise!

What do you do when you feel stuck and your life takes a detour from your grand plan? Claire Swinarski, founder of The Catholic Feminist podcast, says that even if your life is not where you wanted it to be or you are in a time of transition or discomfort, God has planted you right where you are for a reason. In Full Bloom inspires you to see God’s grace at work and discover for yourself the grit and practical strategies to thrive no matter what life has thrown your way. When your dreams don’t match reality, you have several choices: You can wait for your situation to change. You can leap blindly from change to change until something sticks. Or you can do as Claire Swinarski suggests—thrive. In Full Bloom explores strategies for thriving and experiencing God’s grace even when you’re not exactly living the dream. Searching for a career post-college? Longing for excitement while feeling trapped someplace miserable? Single and dreaming of a family? Enjoying a fantastic job in a great city but grappling with feelings of loneliness? No matter where you are, Swinarski offers a game plan for pinpointing what’s not working in your life, making strategic changes, and developing habits that will sustain you no matter what challenges the future holds. Swinarski blends vulnerability, hard-hitting wake-up calls, and practical wisdom as she shares her own struggles, inspires with stories from TheCatholic Feminist podcast community, and offers “soul-care” exercises to help you discover the faith and grit to grow into the life you’ve always hoped for.

Finding the Grace and Grit to Thrive Wherever You're Planted

In Full Bloom

In this timely, call-to-action contemporary middle grade novel from Claire Swinarski, author of What Happens Next, a twelve-year-old girl must face herself, and the truth, after her participation in a bullying incident goes viral. Kate McAllister is desperate for a change. Something to hit refresh and erase the pain of her mother leaving town without her. So when a group of popular girls folds Kate into their clique, it feels like the answer to all her problems--even if it means ditching Haddie, her childhood bestie. But when Kate's new friends decide that Haddie is their next target, Kate becomes a passive participant in a cruel incident that could have killed Haddie...had Kate not stepped in, at the last minute, and saved her. The next day, a cell phone video of the rescue goes viral, and Kate is hailed a hero. But Kate knows the truth--she was part of the problem--and it's only a matter of time until the full version of the video is released and everyone knows it too. With so much at stake, Kate must decide who she wants to be: a liar, a follower, or someone greater.

Claire Swinarski

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