First published 2005
Hattie Owen loves her quiet summers in Millerton. She serves breakfast trays at her parents' boardinghouse, sips lemonade on the porch, and watches the town drowse in the heat. This summer brings something new. Her uncle Adam returns home from a Chicago school that recently closed. Adam is twenty-one with the mind of a child. He talks rapidly, remembers what day of the week any date falls on, and adores I Love Lucy. The family keeps his condition secret. Hattie discovers Adam's gentle spirit as they spend time together. She introduces him to her new friend Leila, and they visit the traveling carnival that has come to town. Adam tells Hattie she is someone who lifts the corners of the universe. One evening, Hattie takes Adam on the Ferris wheel. What happens that night changes everything for Hattie's family and transforms how she sees the world.
Genres: fiction, 20th-century, coming-of-age, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, outsider
Setting: Chicago, Millerton
Period: 20th-century
224 pages · Paperback · Scholastic Inc.
Content warnings: mental-illness