Haley's Secret

Haley's Secret by L. L. Christenson

Middle Grade Christian Fiction; Ages 8 and up

Format: Hardcover

Release: Spring 2018

Publisher: Cross Creek Books™ imprint of Loucks Studios, Inc.

After losing her parents, nine-year-old Haley is sent to live with her paternal grandmother in Wisconsin. Haley's heart is broken, and even her grandmother can't take away the pain, until she takes Haley on a hike to the caves, a place her mother took her when her own father died.

When Haley follows a blind salamander into its tunnel, she gets lost. Haley doesn’t know what to do so she waits, scared and shivering. Then, she does something she hasn’t done since her parents died. Haley prays for help. 

Haley's grandmother summons a rescue team to help find Haley, but an unexpected storm hits the back roads to her farm, causing a delay.

While she waits, Haley meets a cave researcher who goes by the name Holo and is as old as the stalactites. Holo teaches Haley about the uniqueness of each cave and how they all work together and connect to one larger system for a greater purpose.

Can this Holo, probably the oldest person Haley's ever met, help her understand how her untamed emotions can run wild and deep, like uncharted, twisting, black tunnels that no man can reach? 

In the limited time they have together, can Holo share his greatest gift with Haley and walk her through the unexplored territory inside herself, through the caverns of her broken heart, where her deepest pain is blocking those who love her and are trying to help her?

Can Holo teach Haley how to feel renewed and live pain free by shedding her tears into the underground river––the one that flows into the light?