THE HOUSE ON SUNRISE LAGOON

With business and family, it’s sink or swim.

Former foster child Samantha, an 11-year-old adoptee, came to live with the Ali-O’Connors three years ago. She’s had to adjust to being one of the oldest siblings while also being the newest out of five. Her sister Harbor is only four months older, and they end up competing for everything, like a blanket on the couch, time alone in the room they share with middle sibling Marina (who is also adopted), and their mothers’ attention. Schoolteacher Mama is the main caregiver, offering special smiles to the kids. Mom runs a boat charter and repair business out of their backyard, which borders Sunrise Lagoon along their lively, water-centered New Jersey neighborhood. Sam and Harbor both intend to inherit their Mom’s boat business someday, although Sam is still learning how to swim. Then one night Sam overhears her mothers discussing money troubles and the possibility of Mom’s needing to sell the business. Sam is determined not to let that happen and decides she must come up with a plan before the end of summer. Layered family dynamics run through the heart of this character-driven story in which the love and devotion shared are as sure as the tides. Sam is a determined, sometimes stubborn protagonist with understandable insecurities. Many characters read White; Mama and her biological twins, Cordelia and Lir, have Syrian ancestry.

An enjoyable and heartwarming read.