The Penderwicks meets The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street in New
York Times bestselling author Morgan Matson's middle grade debut about
a young girl who gets to know her mom's side of the family and hunts for
hidden treasure over the course of one chaotic summer.
For as long as Ryanna Stuart can remember, her summers have been spent
with her father and his new wife. Just the three of them, structured,
planned, and quiet. But this summer is different. This summer, she's
received a letter from her grandparents--grandparents neither she nor
her dad have spoken to since her mom's death--inviting her to stay with
them at an old summer camp in the Poconos.
Ryanna accepts. She wants to learn about her mom. She wants to uncover
the mystery of why her father hasn't spoken to her grandparents all
these years. She's even looking forward to a quiet summer by the lake.
But what she finds are relatives...so many relatives! Aunts and uncles
and cousins upon cousins--a motley, rambunctious crew of kids and
eccentric, unconventional adults. People who have memories of her mom
from when she was Ryanna's age, clues to her past like a treasure map.
Ryanna even finds an actual, real-life treasure map!
Over the course of one unforgettable summer--filled with s'mores and
swimming, adventure and fun, and even a decades-old mystery to
solve--Ryanna discovers a whole new side of herself and that, sometimes,
the last place you expected to be is the place where you really belong.
