Synopses & Reviews
Returning to the beach cottage—a cottage named Scallop—where she has always celebrated her birthday is a special occasion for Alice Rice.
Who will see the first dolphin this time? The first pelican? What will have changed? Stayed the same? And will this be the year she finally finds a junonia shell?
Alice's friends are all returning, too. And she's certain her parents have the best party planned for her. Alice can't wait. If Alice is lucky, everything will be absolutely perfect. Will Alice be lucky?
Review
“With tender observations and sensory details, Henkes creates a memorable young individual whose arcadian growing up is authentic and pitch-perfect.” Booklist (starred review)
Review
“Henkes knows that Alice, like many girls her age, carries plenty of things in her mindand her heartthat she seldom speaks of. She mulls them over privately, and in Henkess hands, eloquently.” New York Times
Review
“Very few writers have such a keen understanding of the emotional lives of children; here Henkes is at the top of his game.” Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
“Alice balances between familiarity and novelty, coziness and independence, self-centeredness and altruismthe balance beam of turning ten. . . . A fully realized, respectful portrait of a childhood milestone.” The Horn Book
Review
“In this introspective story about a childs search for a rare shell, Henkes again displays his ability to find profound meaning in ordinary events. . . . Readers will empathize with Alices frustrations and relish her moments of joy.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Synopsis
The week of her tenth birthday, Alice and her parents go to Sanibel Island, Florida, just as they do every year, but this time some of the people who are always there are missing and some new people have come, which unsettles Alice, who wants things to be exactly the same as they alway are.
About the Author
Kevin Henkes is the author and illustrator of close to fifty critically acclaimed and award-winning picture books, beginning readers, and novels. He received the Caldecott Medal for
Kitten's First Full Moon in 2005. Kevin Henkes is also the creator of a number of picture books featuring his mouse characters, including the #1
New York Times bestsellers
Lilly's Big Day and
Wemberly Worried, the Caldecott Honor Book
Owen, and the beloved
Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. His most recent mouse character, Penny, was introduced in
Penny and Her Song (2012); her story continued in
Penny and Her Doll and
Penny and Her Marble (a Geisel Honor Book). Bruce Handy, in a
New York Times Book Review piece about
A Good Day, wrote, "It should be said: Kevin Henkes is a genius." Kevin Henkes received two Newbery Honors for novels—one for his newest novel for young readers,
The Year of Billy Miller, and the other for
Olive's Ocean. Also among his fiction for older readers are the novels
Junonia,
Bird Lake Moon,
The Birthday Room, and
Sun & Spoon. He lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.
Kevin Henkes is the author and illustrator of close to fifty critically acclaimed and award-winning picture books, beginning readers, and novels. He received the Caldecott Medal for Kitten's First Full Moon in 2005. Kevin Henkes is also the creator of a number of picture books featuring his mouse characters, including the #1 New York Times bestsellers Lilly's Big Day and Wemberly Worried, the Caldecott Honor Book Owen, and the beloved Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse. His most recent mouse character, Penny, was introduced in Penny and Her Song (2012); her story continued in Penny and Her Doll and Penny and Her Marble (a Geisel Honor Book). Bruce Handy, in a New York Times Book Review piece about A Good Day, wrote, "It should be said: Kevin Henkes is a genius." Kevin Henkes received two Newbery Honors for novels—one for his newest novel for young readers, The Year of Billy Miller, and the other for Olive's Ocean. Also among his fiction for older readers are the novels Junonia, Bird Lake Moon, The Birthday Room, and Sun & Spoon. He lives with his family in Madison, Wisconsin.