Giving up pretty dresses for t-shirts and shorts, eight year old Rachel is left to spend a summer on the North Carolina coastal island of Nelson Island with a grandfather she has never met and a way of life she has never known. While her parents are out of the country on business and pleasure, Rachel begins her summer at the beach clinging to her doll Picklepuss, and slightly frightened of her grandfather, Arthur Austin. However, Rachel soon forms a friendship and love for both her grandfather and the island, spending her days clamming on the beaches, gardening in her grandfather's backyard and fishing on the boat. This newfound relationship between grandfather and granddaughter allows Arthur to take a step back and reevaluate the relationships that are in his life and to make an important decision concerning his relationship with his girlfriend. Filled with quirky island characters and warm summer afternoons, Karen Dodd's "Down East on Nelson Island" is a read for all ages. She has written a novel that describes real people and places while exploring the importance of community, family, friendship and lov