All year, Sophie eagerly anticipates the month of August, aka summerhouse time, when her extended family rents a house by the beach. Unfortunately, this year’s vacation is not off to the best start. For one thing, 11-year-old Sophie is in love for the first time, and she is not exactly happy to be leaving her almost-boyfriend behind. Plus, her favorite cousin Colleen is barely speaking to her, her cousin Cooper is afraid to go into the water, some of her aunts and uncles are fighting and her cat, Orange, plays a disappearing trick. Finally, while Sophie can’t quite put her finger on it, she knows that something is not quite right with her father. Nonetheless, summerhouse time is full of warmth and magic, ice cream and walks on the beach, so as the month unfolds, despite the turmoil—and sometimes because of it—there are many moments to savor. Sophie’s humorous outlook, combined with Spinelli’s lyrical blank prose, makes for a book that’s as light and satisfying as a summer breeze. (Fiction. 7-10)
