by Cynthia Lord
First published 2023
Mia arrives at her grandmother's house in Maine for what should be a familiar summer retreat. This year feels different. Her mother stays home to prepare their house for sale after the divorce, leaving Mia to navigate the visit solo. She expects the usual routines: walks to town for ice cream and quiet hours by the water watching birds. Instead, she encounters Cayman, her grandmother's new neighbor who acts like he owns the place. He's her age and thinks he knows everything. When they both spot an unusual white bird of prey, Cayman assumes he'll be the one to identify it. Mia decides to beat him to the discovery. Her determination to prove herself leads to a choice that affects the entire town, the bird, Cayman, and her own understanding of home. Now she must figure out how to fix what she's set in motion while everything in her life seems to be changing.
Genres: fiction, family-life, contemporary, young-adult
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Maine
224 pages · Hardcover · Scholastic Press