This book touches on a lot of topics that are not usually in children's books. First, Dani's father is "run over by a car". He is in the hospital for a long time recovering, so Dani goes to stay with her best friend Ella. Their summer days are idyllic, filled with swimming, playing, and trying to make some money by selling drinks and pastries to passengers on the ferry. But Dani's happiness comes to an end when her father arrives unexpectedly with his new girlfriend, Sadie. Dani behaves quite badly and is rude to Sadie. After her father leaves, he calls her to apologize for bringing Sadie to the island with no warning and he tells her that he is not ready for a girlfriend. It seems that Sadie is getting her way, but as the story continues, Sadie is going to take Dani and Ella to her sister's farm. Other topics touched on are smoking, step-parents, death of a parent and families arguing. The illustrations complement the text perfectly, and allow readers to smile at some of the girls' antics. The emotions in the illustrations are very apparent. The author does a good job of describing Dani's confusion and hurt as well as Ella's loyalty to her friend. This is a good story to read to children who are dealing with these issues in real life. I do not think that this would be a book that I would put in a class library for anyone to read, it would be used in particular situations. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via netgalley. ( )