by Kevin Henkes
First published 2012
Alice Rice arrives at Scallop, the beach cottage where her family celebrates her birthday every summer. She wonders which friend will spot the first dolphin or pelican this year. Alice searches the shoreline for something special: a junonia shell, which she has never found despite years of looking. Her friends return to the cottage too, and Alice expects her parents have organized another wonderful birthday celebration. She wants everything to go perfectly this time. Alice hopes this will finally be her lucky year. The question remains whether luck will favor her during this beach vacation. Kevin Henkes explores the hopes and expectations that shape a young girl's summer plans.
Genres: fiction, family-life, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, hope
Setting: Scallop
192 pages · Paperback · Greenwillow Books