About the book...
From the award-winning author of A Boy Called Bat comes a new young middle grade series in the tradition of Ramona and Clementine, starring an unforgettable girl named Harriet.
There are a few things you should know about Harriet Wermer:
* She has a perfect cat named Matzo Ball.
* She doesn’t always tell the truth.
* She is very happy to be spending summer vacation away from home and her mom and dad and all the wonderful things she had been planning all year.
Okay, maybe that last one isn’t entirely the truth.
Of course, there’s nothing Harriet doesn’t like about Marble Island, the small island off the coast of California where her nanu runs a cozy little bed and breakfast. And nobody doesn’t love Moneypenny, Nanu’s old basset hound. But Harriet doesn’t like the fact that Dad made this decision without even asking her.
When Harriet arrives on Marble Island, however, she discovers that it’s full of surprises, and even a mystery. One that seems to involve her Dad, back when he was a young boy living on Marble Island. One that Harriet is absolutely going to solve. And that’s the truth.
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This is a story about a young girl discovering her voice, her heritage, and her true self. Harriet has been dealt a bad hand, and it seems like the very end of her world. A happy event, the coming of a new baby brother or sister, is turned sour when mom is ordered on bed rest and dad still had to manage life in general. Where does that leave a slightly precocious little girl and her darling cat? Headed for a trip to Marble Island to stay with her nanu. Normally the trip would be welcome...but not when it wasn't her decision. So, while she's away, she's looking to exert a little control over the things she can touch...such as whether or not she helps around the B&B, picking out a project that's to her liking (such as cleaning out the shed in the hopes of uncovering treasure), and generally making her choices known among those that surround her. The thing is...she's not really fooling anyone. They give her some space, and allowances, but they know at heart, she's hurting...and time as well as distance from the situation that seems to be the cause can in fact help one to heal, or at least find the path of least resistance for themselves.
I loved Harriet's character, and trust me, there is nothing "just" about her. She is her own person, as small as spunky as a young girl can be, but so bright, with so much heart it hurts. Seeing her struggle with the separation, the way she acts out even when she doesn't really know why she is, hurt my heart, but it was healed with every smile she spared, every mystery she unlocked, and every new understanding she came to. In the end, it wasn't just a story about her family changing now, but about how much they each had changed along the way, and how much like her dad she really was. It's a tale that doesn't spare the heart, but makes it feel whole again.
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About the author...
Elana K. Arnold is the author of critically acclaimed and award-winning young adult novels and children’s books, including the Printz Honor winner Damsel and the National Book Award finalist What Girls Are Made Of. Several of her books are Junior Library Guild selections and have appeared on many best book lists, including the Amelia Bloomer Project, a catalog of feminist titles for young readers. Elana teaches in Hamline University’s MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults program and lives in Southern California with her family and menagerie of pets. You can visit her online at www.elanakarnold.com.
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