Connie Richardson’s Rapid City Summer is a sweet and thoughtful middle-grade novel about finding joy in unexpected places, especially when everything around you is shifting.
For 16-year-old Natalie, moving from the vibrant streets of Chicago to the quiet, wide-open spaces of South Dakota feels like a personal apocalypse. She’s leaving behind her tight-knit friend group, her cross-country team, and the pulse of the city she loves. But as she adjusts to her new surroundings, Natalie starts to uncover surprising beauty in the natural world—and in herself.
Much of that discovery is guided by Adam, her easygoing neighbor with a passion for fly-fishing. What begins as a reluctant interest (let’s be honest: it’s mostly about spending time with the cute boy next door) turns into something more meaningful. Natalie finds a sense of peace, focus, and empowerment on the river, and Rapid City Summer does a great job showing how nature can both challenge and soothe us. It’s not just a book about fishing—it’s about connection: to new people, to family history, and to parts of ourselves we didn’t know existed.
Natalie also grapples with complicated family dynamics, especially as she starts to build a tentative relationship with her estranged grandmother. The story doesn’t shy away from the messier sides of love and forgiveness—arguments flare, misunderstandings abound—but that honesty makes the emotional beats land harder. Likewise, Natalie’s strained long-distance friendship with her old best friend feels achingly real in its slow unraveling.
What sets Rapid City Summer apart is its smart, layered handling of themes like disability, ableism, and how we think about our bodies. As a runner, Natalie is tuned into physical ability, and her reflections—sparked by everything from a tough hike to interactions with stroke survivors—offer a mature, nuanced take rarely found in books for this age group. Even if some of these themes might resonate more with adult readers, they’re presented clearly and accessibly for middle-grade audiences.
The story moves quickly—at times a little too quickly. Some plotlines, like a dramatic family fight or Adam’s mother’s brief appearances, could have been better developed or trimmed. Still, the heart of the book—Natalie learning to find comfort and strength in a new life—is compelling and well told.
Rapid City Summer is perfect for middle-grade and younger teen readers who enjoy contemporary coming-of-age stories with emotional depth.
-K
The Book Report 