A warm coming-of-age novel about a community banding together in the wake of a tornado, perfect for fans of reader favorites like Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt and Lost in the Sun by Lisa Graff.
The night of the sixth-grade dance is supposed to be perfect for Maddie: she'll wear her perfect new dress, hit the dance floor with her friends, and her crush, Avery, will ask her to dance. But as the first slow song starts to play, her plans crumble. Avery asks someone else to dance instead--and then the power goes out.
Huddled in the gym, Maddie and her friends are stunned to hear that a tornado has ripped through the other side of town, destroying both Maddie's and Avery's homes.
Kind neighbors open up their home to Maddie's and Avery's families, which both excites and horrifies Maddie. Sharing the same house . . . with Avery? For the entire summer? While it buys her some time to prove that Avery made the wrong choice at the dance, it also means he'll be there to witness her morning breath and her annoying little brother.
At the dance, all she wanted was to be more grown-up. Now that she has no choice, is she really ready for it?