Summer with a Twist

Written by then-twelve-year-old author Citra Tenore, Summer with a Twist is a children's novel about her similarly aged protagonist, Chloe Taliri, who is flung into a series of misadventures and gross mishaps on the island of Nantucket in Massachusetts during the summer before her first year of middle school. When Chloe's parents destroy her plans for the best weekend of the year and force her to vacation on the touristic island with a family of five, rambunctious boys even though she would rather be with her friends back home, she has to deal with everything from blood, guts, and sharks, to a crazy clone and flipping fans. Meanwhile, nothing comes easy as she has to face the struggles of growing up when she doesn't want to, but she certainly offers plenty of laughs along the way. In this story filled with humor, heart, and harrowing boys, it takes on the challenges of girlhood, growing up Asian American, and all the freaky, random changes health class teachers always warn students about. A unique book for middle grade readers, it doesn't shy away from what audience members are actually thinking...After all, it was written by one!