This was one of my favorite books as a child. I read it from the library so many times that my parents went ahead and just bought me a copy so I'd stop asking them to drive me there specifically for this book.

Elizabeth is a foster kid who's been placed with a new family. She agreed because they go to the ocean every summer and seeing the ocean has been a lifelong dream. But she's the opposite of them in every way- they're loud and boisterous and outgoing while she's quiet, reserved, and self contained. I love the dynamic between her and the family. It does a great job of showing negatives and positives on both sides. Sure Elizabeth is understandably struggling, but it's also hard for a ten year old who doesn't understand why her new cousin never talks or plays with her in the whole month they're rooming together. I think this book did a good job of illustrating both points of view, although focusing on Elizabeth for obvious reasons.

I think Elizabeth's character is really well developed. She's someone I found myself relating to as both a child and adult. Her specific situation is very unique, but in general, the feeling of otherness is something most people feel at some point. I think it was handled really well and I love her character. I can't help but feel for her and wish for things to improve throughout this book.

The regular narration is interrupted at points with italic lines that are Elizabeth's direct thoughts and I loved those. I thought the way they were interspersed through the book was so well done. It made me feel that much more connected to Elizabeth.

The biggest issue for me in this book is the spanking. The grandmother punishes them (children aged 4-15) by spanking them with a paddle. It's mentioned that a few of the parents think it's barbaric, but no one does anything to try and stop it. Everyone just kind of goes along and within the context of the book, it's a positive thing. I definitely have a problem with that and anyone who owns a paddle specifically for hitting children. I'm willing to look past it in part because it's a childhood favorite. There's so much nostalgia that I already loved the rest of the book, and the spanking was just one bad thing to be accepted. I think if I was reading it for the first time it would have affected my overall enjoyment a lot more.

I was also not the biggest fan of the ending. It felt like we had a whole summer of Elizabeth not fitting in and not trying to fit in, because she knew she was leaving, but then everything changed drastically and quickly in a couple days at the end. I know a climax has to be dramatic, but I think it needed a lot more time to develop. I feel like it cheapened the story a little by trying to completely fix everything at the end when it could've just started the process

I think a lot of the adults in the story needed to be more open with Elizabeth and understanding of her situation. I'm not sure if this is a critique of the story or just something I didn't like in these characters. It makes sense that kids are going to get frustrated by someone who always pushes them away. But I think the adults needed to do a much better job. Elizabeth is told she's part of the family, but her history in foster care has taught her that these placements are temporary. None of the adults really try hard to dispel this notion or work with her through it. Also leaving a foster kid who clearly has abandonment issues in the care of a new adult in a new place for a whole month when she's only been with you for two months seems like a really bad idea. I dunno, like I said, I'm not sure if this is a critique of the book or just the characters as people, but I wish it had been handled better.

Overall, this is a favorite of mine and will probably always be a favorite. I love reading about Elizabeth and would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys middle grade contemporaries.