First published 2017
Nine-year-old Sumac Lottery considers herself the responsible one in her sprawling, unconventional family. The Lotterys live in their rambling house called Camelottery with four parents, multiple children both adopted and biological, and an assortment of rescue animals. Their comfortable chaos gets disrupted when Grumps, an estranged grandfather with dementia, moves in unexpectedly. Sumac gives up her bedroom to accommodate him, determined to be welcoming despite his obvious distaste for everything about their lifestyle. He criticizes their whole grain meals, their rescued pets, and their multicultural family structure. His constant disapproval makes everyone tense. Sumac decides Grumps needs to find somewhere else to live, but as she tries to solve this problem, she discovers that helping someone find where they belong might mean something different than she expected.
Genres: literary-fiction, family-life, contemporary, adoption
Vibes: intimate, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Camelottery
Period: 21st-century
320 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins