Lemon Peabody is certain that aliens visited Grandpa Walt thirty years ago, but she's running out of time to prove it before he forgets his best story. This humorous and tenderhearted story about family, friendship, and always believing in yourself is for fans of Greg van Eekhout, Stuart Gibbs, and Hour of the Bees.
Lemon Peabody loves spending time with Grandpa Walt. Even though he has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and moved to an assisted living facility, he's still the same funny, loving grandpa he's always been. One of Grandpa's claims to fame is his story about meeting an alien years ago--and that it looked like a garden gnome. Ever since, it's been something of a town-wide joke, and the cause of a rift between Grandpa and Lemon's dad. Lemon is determined to find those extraterrestrial gnomes and vindicate Grandpa Walt--while Grandpa can still remember it.
Late one night, after seeing the flash of a spaceship during a storm, Lemon enlists the help of two friends to find out what might have crashed in the woods. But then the aliens find her, and nothing goes the way she expected. Lemon is sure she can convince the aliens to fix Grandpa Walt's memory and bring back the grandpa she misses so much for good. But the aliens are dealing with problems of their own. With a little creativity and compassion, maybe they can all help one another.
Casey Lyall's lively, voice-driven novel bursts with heart and humor. With family and friendship--and aliens!--at its core, Gnome Is Where Your Heart Is will captivate readers of Rebecca Stead's and Wendy Mass's Bob, and Greg van Eekhout's Weird Kid.
In a sensitive novel from Lyall (A Spoonful of Frogs), an 11-year-old confronts her grandfather's gradual decline due to Alzheimer's disease, a family rift, and a rumor about aliens. Lenore "Lemon" Peabody loves nothing better than working with her beloved Grandpa Walt on Project Validation--seeking proof of his purported encounter 30 years ago with a green-skinned extraterrestrial who resembled a garden gnome. The whole town delights in the oft-told story and peppers their lawns with green gnomes, much to the chagrin of Lemon's disbelieving father, who demands that she tone down the search now that Grandpa is in a retirement home. After a late-night incidence of flashing lights persuades Lemon that the aliens have returned, she enlists the aid of two friends--one a murder mystery writer with a morbid bent, the other a passionate mycologist--committed to establishing that Grandpa has always been right. Alternating, urgently rendered chapters follow the perspective of bumbling yet charming alien Ensign Gnedley, a plotline that parallels Lemon's mission as they both seek answers around his kind's previous Earth visit. Lyall strikes an even balance between heartwarming and heartbreak as Lemon's independent spark, sharp wit, and deep compassion brighten the pages. Lemon is white; context clues suggest racial diversity across the supporting cast. Ages 8-12. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency. (May)
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