According to Claire’s dad, every day is a Grand Adventure.

There might be a spaceship buried in the backyard, or a ghost in the basement, or a troll king who spies through the pipes. Claire used to love these stories, especially tales about her long-absent mom. But now that she’s twelve, Claire is tired of all the fantasy and just wants to know the truth.

So when her dad sells their house and moves the family into a converted van, she refuses to embrace the latest Grand Adventure, despite her little brother’s excitement. Why did they really leave home? And where are they going? Without answers, Claire is faced with a choice: Will she play along

with the stories her dad is spinning? Or will she force her family to face reality once and for all?

Equal parts heartwarming and heartbreaking, Wrong Way Summer is a road-trip journey and coming-of-age story about one girl’s struggle to understand when a lie is really a lie, and when it’s something more: hope.

A Junior Library Guild Selection