Rapid City Summer

De: Connie Richardson

Narrado por: Rachael Faber

“One of the worst things you can do is stay in your comfort zone.”

Fifteen-year-old Natalie Ryba reluctantly moves from the Illinois suburbs to Rapid City, South Dakota, when her mom accepts a new job in the Black Hills. More than anything, Natalie wants to find the same peace and sense of belonging she had in Illinois with her friends and track team. But moving across the country, living minutes from her estranged, eccentric grandmother, and developing a crush on her next-door neighbor put that dream out of reach.

The move turns Natalie’s life upside down, and she realizes how much she doesn’t know about the world, her family, and herself. She embraces the culture of her new home by learning how to fly fish. Through fly fishing, Natalie becomes more confident and adventurous. But after returning home from a fly fishing trip to Montana, Natalie receives life- altering news. Can she apply the new skills she’s learned over the summer–physical and personal–to overcome her obstacles?

©2025 Black Rose Writing (P)2025 Black Rose Writing

Leave your comfort zone to find your true self!

This is a perfect coming-of-age finding yourself book for a middle school girl. Natalie moves from her home that she has loved her whole life and leaves her best friend behind. However, on this journey of moving to a new state, she finds out who she really is and learns about real true friends. I love the infusion of the grandmother relationship as well. I also love that she moves out of her comfort zone and starts doing amazing things. What a message that we can all live by.