Thank you for sharing this boy and this time. I hope that somehow, somewhere, someday Anthony will read it and find his way back to you and Ben and Maine in the summer.

I hope somehow Anthony comes to read this story. It brought tears to my eyes.

You touched his life and showed him love. Like a teacher or a foster parent, you planted seeds of hope in a child. Even though you may never know what happened to Anthony, know that you made a difference.
I have been reunited with many people from my past through Facebook. You might want to give it a try. I'm sure he'd love to hear from you.

That was so lovely. Thank you so much for sharing. It made me tear up, and it also reminded me of why I became a librarian. Bless you.

Thank you for sharing the story of Anthony.... How ironic that he was like the cute little crane in the first book that was read to him as a child. However, I hope he changes the story. I hope somehow he sees this and flies back to say hello.

Alex appeared one day at my brother's home.
Alex was a seven-year-old boy with spiky black hair, an oval head, beady black eyes, very dry skin, and a contagious smile. He spoke English and Creole fluently.
My entire family loved him on site. Alex was in every family photograph, at every birthday and Christmas celebration. He blended smoothly with the rest of my family, as did his personality.
One day he was gone. Just as abruptly as the day he appeared.
Sadly, Alex couldn't survive outside the bubble of my family's love. Despite the love, he never mastered his new world. Something inside him would not yield.
Like with Anthony, we, too, hope that a seed was planted...

This story is why I love to read your books and your blog. You give so much in your writing, and I so appreciate your gift of words and feelings and ideas.

Thank you for sharing that beautiful story. Wouldn't it be a wonder if Anthony found you again?

Thank you for sharing your life and love of reading with Anthony and for sharing Anthony with us. I'm a teacher who has had many little ones come in and out of my life. Each one leaves sweet memories and takes a piece of my heart.

Your story strikes such a familiar chord. I taught Wards of the State for several years and one special young man spent many a weekend in our home. We were all set to become his foster parents -until the powers that be decided a black boy should only be placed in a black home, not a white home like ours. We never heard from our young friend again either. The unfairness of this stayed with me so much that I eventually wrote a mg novel with this incident as the kernel. When it comes out this fall, I am hoping it will somehow, magically, land in his hands and will lead him back to us. I can only pray he beat the statistics here in Chicago.

Can we assume, since you didn't mention it, that you DID have the ugly headscarf?! Haha.

That is so sweet that you cared and nurtured little Anthony like he was your own. I had the same situation when I was caring for a young asian girl named Olivia. She shared 4 summers with us, but sadly we have not heard from her since that last summer.

thanks for sharing a wonderful story, I actually read it to my class (I am a teacher) and they loved and they made inferences on this story. I sm Mrs.Munoz