age range: 12 and up
genre / form: contemporary fiction; verse novel
Betty Culley’s website

Please tell us about your book.

This is the description on the Harper site for the book, which does a great job of summing up what the novel is about:

Life changes forever for Liv when her older brother, Jonah, accidentally shoots himself with his best friend Clay’s father’s gun. Now Jonah needs round-the-clock care just to stay alive, and Liv feels like she’s the only person who can see that her brother is still there inside his broken body. 

With Liv’s mom suing Clay’s family, there are divisions in the community that Liv knows she’s not supposed to cross. But Clay is her friend, too, and she refuses to turn away from him—just like she refuses to give up on Jonah. This powerful novel is a stunning exploration of tragedy, grief, compassion, and forgiveness.

What inspired you to write this story?

My work as a pediatric home health and hospice nurse brought me into the lives of sick and disabled children and their families. The devotion and the resilience of the siblings of these children made a big impression on me, and this story came out of that experience.

Could you share with readers how you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned while researching? 

Since the Kennebec River near me plays a big part in the novel, I researched information about the river and, of course, visited it in many different seasons! In my research into the origin of the Abenaki word ‘Kennebec’, I corresponded with Chief Donald Stevens of the Nulhegan Band of the Coosuk-Abenaki Nation, who consulted with his linguist experts about my questions.

There’s a trial in the novel involving ‘negligent entrustment of a firearm’. I spent a day at a local courthouse, observing both the building and the proceedings. I also spoke with a lawyer familiar with the issues involved in negligence cases in Maine.

In the book, Liv’s father worked at the local paper mill until it closed. This is a familiar scene in my area—empty paper mill buildings standing along the Kennebec River. I also talked to a friend who worked as a millwright for the paper company for thirty years, and he explained the process of making paper, from the logs to the finished products!

After Jonah’s accident, Clay drops out of school and works in his father’s business, Bugz Away Pest Management, so I did extensive research into termites, bedbugs, fleas and other creepy, crawly things!

What are some special challenges associated with writing a novel in verse?

Writing in verse makes you really think about the words you choose, and how to tell the story in the most economical and direct way. It felt like the perfect form for Liv’s voice to be heard.

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?

This book has themes of self-education and self-motivated learning, including a fascination by the main character/narrator with the natural world around her.

It touches on how Liv struggles in the classroom after the tragedy, how other students treat her, how her friends rally around her, and how the teachers and administrators try to understand and support her.

Also, it portrays Liv dealing not only with Jonah’s accidental shooting, but the economic difficulties of living in single parent household in a town where one of the main industries — the paper mill — has shut down. 

genre / topic: contemporary fiction; neurodivergence
age range: 8-12
setting: North Carolina coast
Gillian McDunn’s website

An engrossing, heartwarming, beautifully written debut about building and rebuilding family ties.
– Kirkus Reviews, starred review

McDunn’s poignant, gratifying debut about friendship and family encourages both empathy and hope.
– Publishers Weekly, starred review

This absorbing, heartfelt novel seamlessly blends the challenges of life with a neurodivergent child into a story of one tween’s burgeoning self-awareness as she figures out how to reclaim her childhood.
– New York Times Book Review

Please tell us about your book.

CATERPILLAR SUMMER is the story of a girl, her brother with special needs, and the summer they will never forget on Gingerbread Island. 

Since her father’s death, Cat has taken care of her brother, Chicken, for their hardworking mother—but on an unexpected island trip to visit grandparents they never knew, Cat has the chance to be a child again.

What inspired you to write this story?

I was inspired by the special relationship I had with my younger brother Andy, who had multiple disabilities. I loved him deeply and felt very protective of him. I wanted to explore the dynamic where love, joy, and responsibility are all woven together. 

I was also inspired by the North Carolina coast to create the book’s setting of Gingerbread Island. The beach is my favorite place, and my family loves exploring the beautiful islands of our state. 

Could you share with readers how you conducted your research or share a few interesting tidbits you learned while researching?

I had a blast researching this book because it involved multiple trips to Topsail Island, which is the basis for Gingerbread Island. Topsail is a quiet island with miles of beautiful beaches. We love to swim, search for sea glass and shark teeth, and build sea castles. 

Sea turtles’ nesting habits play a role in the book, so I got to do lots of research about turtles. I even got to go to a sea turtle hospital where animals are treated and released back into the wild. I also did a lot of research about fishing, which is an important part of the book.

One thing I didn’t need to research at all were the facts about sharks, which are Chicken’s favorite animal. My son also has a love for sharks, so most of those facts were things I had learned through him. 

What are some special challenges associated with introducing a setting your audience might be unfamiliar with?

I grew up in southern California and was a frequent visitor to the beaches there. I always loved those visits, but often found the Pacific to be too cold for swimming. Most California kids have memories of having to get out of the water to warm up, even in summer. 

North Carolina’s beaches have much warmer water! The beach also feels very different in other ways–even the color of the water looks different to me. I tried to include lots of sensory details so readers would feel like they were really there. I wanted the island to feel like a place that was both comforting and full of mysteries at the same time. 

What topics does your book touch upon that would make it a perfect fit for the classroom?

CATERPILLAR SUMMER explores family dynamics–sibling relationships, grandparent relationships, even the estranged relationship between Cat’s mom and grandfather. Cat is a very responsible 11-year-old who finds the chance on the island to be a kid. She makes a friend, an enemy, and enters a fishing contest. She works through some grief from the loss of her dad, who passed away years ago. And she finds lots of time to do fun things like playing miniature golf, riding bikes, and eating ice cream. I hope it will help readers hold onto a little bit of summer all year long.