This beautifully written novel by Lynne Rae Perkins is an authentic description of the special moments and simple pleasures of a family’s first vacation to the ocean. Sisters Alix and Jools’ summer vacation experience brings the reader along for the ride, from the beginning of their long car trip to the last time they dip their toes into warm ocean water. Building sand castles, collecting shells and floating on gentle waves are some of experiences the girls expect to have on their first trip to the beach. Who knew they’d also meet new friends, drift away on the longshore current or have close-up encounters with wildlife?! Readers can almost feel the sand between their toes and smell the salty air, remember a past vacation or dream of one yet to be. A marvelous beach read for the last month of summer.
Alix and her sister, Jools, have never seen the ocean. When their parents pack them up for a week at the shore, Alix is nervous about leaving home, but excited, too. At the beach, the girls make friends, go exploring, and have adventures both big and small.