Cat is the glue holding her family together. When her little brother Chicken has a meltdown, she knows just how to calm him, whether it’s scratching his back or reading his favourite book. They’ve always had a special bond. But with their mum working extra hard after their dad’s death, Cat is struggling to keep everything afloat. When Cat and Chicken unexpectedly end up spending the summer with the grandparents they’ve never met, Cat suddenly has the space to be a kid again. Gradually, she discovers that days on Gingerbread Island are full of fishing, fireflies and new friendships – as well as a lifetime of family secrets. Could this summer be Cat’s chance to bring her fractured family together again?

Gillian McDunn is the award-winning author of Caterpillar Summer, The Queen Bee and Me, These Unlucky Stars, Honestly Elliott, the Schneider Family Book Award Honor winner, When Sea Becomes Sky, and Trouble at the Tangerine. Her books have been Parents magazine best book of the year, Kirkus Reviewsbest book of the year, and Junior Library Guild, IndieNext, and BankStreet College of Education Best Books selections. When she isn’treading or writing, she is probably trying a new recipe, playing a boardgame, or learning something new. She lives near Raleigh, NorthCarolina, with her husband, children, and a very silly dog named Friday.www.gillianmcdunn.com @gillianmcdunn