Carousel Summer

For twelve-year-old Lucy Stulligross, a boring summer without her best friend turns into an unexpected coming-of-age journey of firsts. Perfect for fans of Kayla Miller and Jarad Greene.



With her best friend away at camp, tons of chores to do, and new developments in their rapidly gentrifying town of Milforth causing fights between her brother and her dad, summer isn’t looking great for twelve-year-old Lucy. At least, that’s what Lucy thinks . . . until Milforth's plan to revive an old carousel for the town's one hundred fiftieth anniversary brings artist Ray and her daughter, Anaïs, to town. Suddenly Lucy's summer is looking up!



Anaïs is smart, funny, and easy to get along with, and for Lucy—who's not the most popular girl in her middle school—Anaïs is just the person that could take Lucy's summer from dire to fire. The two bike around town, help Ray with the carousel restoration, and bond over their love of fantasy novels. Used to being judged for her looks and interests, Lucy finally feels at ease to be herself. And she thinks she may feel something for Anaïs, too.



But with tensions rising at home, and with locals, thanks to a wheeling-and-dealing development company looking to build new condos in town, Lucy soon finds herself in a constant state of battle with her dad. Stressed about the state of his local grocery store, Lucy's dad starts taking his frustrations out on his kids, and he and Lucy end up butting heads on the kind of girl he thinks Lucy should be. Can Lucy find the courage to be true to herself? She’s got the whole summer to find out . . .