With money tight after her father's death, Binny and her family moved to a smaller flat. Binny's beloved dog, Max, was farmed out to stay with Granny until prickly Great Aunt Violet gave the dog away. Aunt Violet becomes the target of Binny's intense and focused hatred. In fact, Binny tells Aunt Violet that she hopes she'll die. Remarkably, Aunt Violet does, bequeathing a small seaside cottage to Binny. The cottage and village are a much better situation for Binny's family, but Binny struggles with guilt over her death-wish for Aunt Violet. She's also obsessed with trying to track down Max, who is the focus of all her feelings of loss. Gareth, an unhappy next-door neighbor visiting his dad and stepmom, helps to distract Binny despite frequent clashes between them. A framing story involves Binny and Gareth trapped on a rock in the sea with a fast-rising tide. It progresses in short italicized sections throughout the book, with the situation growing increasingly tense. In between, the narrative gradually fills in details about the family's adjustment to life in the village, with Binny's young brother James (who wants to raise chickens and grow poisonous lettuce) and big sister Clem adding comic relief, and additional pathos as they, too, struggle with grief and loss. A novel that is quintessentially Hilary McKay features a quirky yet lovable family of distinctive individuals who make it through a difficult time with love and humor. (Ages 9-12)

This tender, sweet, and hilarious novel about growing up with a loving family and a perfectly rambunctious dog “balances moments of hilarity with poignancy” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

When she was eight, Binny’s life was perfect: She had her father’s wonderful stories and Max, the best dog ever. But after her father’s sudden death, money is tight, and horrible Aunty Violet decides to give Max away—he is just too big for their cramped new life. Binny knows she can’t get her dad back, but she never stops missing Max, or trying to find him. Then, when she’s eleven, everything changes again.

Aunty Violet has died, and left Binny and her family an old house in a seaside town. Binny is faced with a new crush, a new frenemy, and…a ghost? It seems Aunty Violet may not have completely departed. It’s odd being haunted by her aunt, but there is also the warmth of a busy and loving mother, a musical older sister, and a hilarious little brother, who is busy with his experiments. And his wetsuit. And his chickens.

You’ll delight in getting to know Binny and her hilarious, heartwarming family in this charming novel, which received three starred reviews.