In Apricots, eleven-year-old Gilly returns to her forest world—part whimsical, part heartbreakingly real—to make sense of everything that’s changing around her: her new baby sister, a secret her best friend Oggy won’t share, and the quiet ache of missing her father.

Told through Gilly’s intimate, diary-like voice, this lyrical book captures the luminous moments of growing up. From apricot trees newly planted in her neighbor’s yard to the mysterious boy named Monty who changes everything, Gilly’s world expands with tenderness, humor, and quiet wonder.

As she navigates friendship, family, and the strange balance between imagination and truth, Gilly learns that staying the same and growing up can sometimes happen at once, and that even the smallest prayers whispered to a tree might reach farther than she thinks.

Apricots blends magical realism with emotional honesty, inviting readers young and old to rediscover the beauty in ordinary things—the scent of jam, the sound of wind through leaves, the courage to love what changes.

Themes: friendship, imagination, change, forgiveness, family bonds, and creative self-discovery

Audience: Upper Middle Grade (ages 10–14) and crossover literary readers

Format: Diary-style fiction, lyrical prose, gentle magical realism