Twelve-year-old Adam is spending the first summer since his parents’ divorce at his grandma’s cabin in northern Minnesota. That means it’s just him, his mom, and Grandma, not his dad and the many cousins who used to join them. Adam’s grandma is having memory issues, causing a great deal of tension between her and Adam’s mom, who is worried about her mother living alone. Adam doesn’t mind the quieter vacation — he often felt overwhelmed by his cousins in the past — and so is at first a bit resentful of Alice, the new girl at the cabin nearby. But she turns out to love the outdoors and science and doesn’t seem obsessed with cute clothes and popularity, a pleasant surprise for Adam, who isn’t high on the social food chain. In this quiet, understated novel, Adam and Alice develop a friendship with a hint of romance while trying to unravel the mystery of the notes Adam’s grandma keeps leaving around the cabin. They seem to be intended for someone in her past, but not his grandfather, who died before Adam was born. A treasure hunt following decades-old clues marks both change and continuity in a novel that beautifully captures the feel of a stretched-out summer in the woods, and a boy’s growing confidence in being himself. (Ages 9–12)

An introspective boy and an adventurous girl uncover a poignant family mystery during a summer on the shores of Three Bird Lake.

For as long as he can remember, Adam and his parents have spent their summers at his grandmother's rustic cabin on Three Bird Lake. But this year will be different. There will be no rowdy cousins running around tormenting Adam. There will be no Uncle John or Aunt Jean. And there'll be no Dad to fight with Mom. This year, the lake will belong just to Adam.
But then Adam meets Alice, the girl next door, who seems to want to become friends. Alice looks just like the aloof, popular girls back home--what could he and she possibly have in common?
Turns out, Alice isn't like the girls back home. She's frank, funny, and eager for adventure. And when Adam's grandma starts to leave strange notes in his room--notes that hint at a hidden treasure somewhere at the lake and a love from long ago--Alice is the one person he can rely on to help solve the mysteries of Three Bird Lake.