The Lost Lake by Allen Say

This is great for any kid to see that although parents do tend to be boring, they also oftentimes have a fun side. The little boy goes to live with his dad for the summer and is always bored because his dad never talks to him. His dad decides to take the boy to see the Lost Lake and tells him that it can be their little secret together. They begin to hike and the boy is surprised by how much of an outdoorsmen his dad is. He is pushed really hard to keep up with his dad's fast pace. They find a lake but it has too many people so the dad decides that they should keep hiking to find another place. Throughout the story, you can tell that the boy and the dad are not close and this may be one of the first times they have ever spent this much one on one time together. The boy doubts the dad the entire time but never once says, let's go back or I don't want to do this anymore. He also begins to learn things about his dad that he had no idea about, like the fact that he is a really great cook. This is a very unusual quality to just now be learning, so I am thinking that he normally lives with his mother. When they stop to camp for the night, the boy is doubting that they will ever find the lost lake, but when they wake up the next morning, it is right in front of them. This book would target many different children because many kids have distant relationships with their parents, whether they are married or divorced. The main message seems to be that kids should give their parents more opportunities to open up and not just judge them as boring.