First published 2006
Turner Buckminster arrives in a small Maine town as the new minister's son. The local boys reject him because he plays baseball wrong. Turner meets Lizzie Bright Griffin, who lives on Malaga Island in a community founded by former slaves. Lizzie teaches Turner about coastal Maine life. She shows him how to dig clams and row boats. They even paddle near a whale together. The town's powerful leaders hatch a plan to remove everyone from Malaga Island. They want to build a tourist business there. Turner's own father supports this scheme. Turner finds himself standing alone against the entire establishment. He and Lizzie fight to protect her community from destruction. Their resistance comes with serious consequences. Turner must choose between his family's position and doing what's right.
Genres: american-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, young-adult
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Maine, Malaga Island
Period: 19th-century
219 pages · Paperback · Yearling
Content warnings: racism