YARMOUTH — Islandport Press has published a debut book by Lewiston native Sarah Marie Aliberti Jette, “What the Wind Can Tell You.” It is a novel for middle grades.

At the center of Jette’s book is seventh-grader Isabelle Perez. Isabelle is fascinated by wind and, this year, she’s determined to win the middle school science fair with her wind machine. She’s just as determined to have her brother, Julian, who has a severe form of epilepsy and uses a wheelchair, serve as her assistant. But after Julian has a grand mal seizure, everything changes.

Isabelle is suddenly granted entry into Las Brisas, a magical world where Julian’s physical limitations disappear. The more Isabelle explores Las Brisas, the more possibilities she sees — for Julian and for herself — and the more she finds herself at odds with her parents. Debut author Jette tells a powerful story of a family struggling to love without fear.

Advance praise is already coming in for the book. Foreword Reviews says, “This thoughtful and lively novel will delight middle-grade ages and beyond with its balance of sensory prose and meaningful topics.”

Jette has what she calls the best job in the world: teaching fourth-graders. She is currently a teacher at the Thompson Elementary School in Arlington, Massachusetts. Jette lives in Belmont. When she’s not writing, she is crafting with her three children, sewing her own clothes and snuggling with her cats.  

She grew up in Lewiston in a house filled with books. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College, she served in the Peace Corps in Mongolia, and also studied rehabilitation counseling before becoming a teacher.

Sarah Marie Alberti Jette

“What The Wind Can Tell You,” a new book by Lewiston native Sarah Marie Aliberti Jette.