Macon gave me a big bear hug. Then he stepped back. “See you, bro.”
“Yeah. Soon,” I said. Then, feeling tongue-tied, I turned to Lovie.
She was clutching her turtle necklace, which told me she was nervous or upset. “Take good care of the turtle nests for us,” I said, feeling awkward.
She looked at me, her cheeks turning pink under her freckles. She rushed forward to hug me. Then she kissed me. Right on the cheek. Then with a quick smile, she turned heel and rushed away and disappeared in the crowd.
Macon and I looked at each other, our eyes wide.
Then Macon high-fived me and burst into a wide grin. “Next year is going to be the best summer ever!”
RESOURCES
For additional information about some of the animals in this book, check out these sites.
For cool facts about loggerhead turtles:
www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/sea-life/loggerhead-turtle-facts/
To see sea turtles and learn about how injured turtles are cared for:
scaquarium.org/sea-turtle-care-center
To learn more about Dewees Island’s habitat and wildlife:
deweesislandblog.com
naturewalkswithjudy.com
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It’s been a long-held dream of both Angela and me to write a book for middle school children. We love this age of confidence and dreams. Over the years of writing The Islanders, we’ve enjoyed the support of many people and are so grateful. In particular, we send our eternal gratitude to:
Judy Drew Fairchild. Thank you for being our touchstone on Dewees Island. You revealed to us the unique magic of Dewees Island, its natural beauty, the respect of all the inhabitants for habitat, and the resilience and endurance of nature. Thank you, too, for a continuing education on birds, insects, and wildlife on the island. Your amazing photographs and IG series Quick Nature Walk have been a guide for us as we wrote the novel. Claudia Poulnot DeMayo for her support and photographs that continue to inspire us all.
Alicia Reilly. Our other Dewees guide! Thank you for your generous support, your time on decks and docks, sharing insights into family life on a remote island, and for always being there when we needed you. The Dewees Ladies Roundtable. Sincere thanks for welcoming us to your island and sharing your stories and memories.
Paul Spencer at the YMCA Beaufort/Jasper. We appreciate the time you spent helping us to understand the rules of boating, and how to make it fun for children.
Christina Liegl. Thank you for the insights into the life of a C-17 pilot and military family life. Kwame Alexander. Sincere love and thanks to a magnificent spirit and writer who shared with me possibilities. I’m so grateful.
Most importantly, heartfelt thanks to everyone at Aladdin at Simon & Schuster for welcoming us into your publishing family. First, Mara Anastas, we are eternally grateful you saw the promise of the story of three unlikely friends stuck on a remote island for the summer. Your faith in the book was inspiring. Thank you, also, Fiona Simpson, for your great enthusiasm as we came on board, and for the initial edits that guided and shaped the story. A heartfelt thanks to Alyson Heller for your sensitive editing in the important final drafts. We look forward to more! And thanks to Lauren McKenna for making the introductions at Simon & Schuster that made the magic happen.
Angela and I send sincere gratitude to our home team: Kathie Bennett of Magic Time Literary Publicity, Molly Waring of Ballyhoo, and Laura Rossi of Laura Rossi Public Relations. You are the best!
Sincere thanks to Faye Bender at the Book Group. You’ve been a staunch supporter of my goal to write for this age group. Thanks so much for your advice, for sharing books, and so much more.
Finally we send our love to husbands, Markus Kruesi and Jaeson May. You are the wind beneath our wings!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Mary Alice Monroe photograph by Mic Smith Photography
MARY ALICE MONROE is the New York Times bestselling author of over twenty books, including the Beach House series: The Beach House, Beach House Memories, Swimming Lessons, Beach House for Rent, Beach House Reunion, and On Ocean Boulevard. She is a 2018 inductee into the South Carolina Academy of Authors’ Hall of Fame, and her books have received numerous awards, including the 2008 South Carolina Center for the Book Award for Writing, the 2014 South Carolina Award for Literary Excellence, the 2015 Southwest Florida Author of Distinction Award, the RT Lifetime Achievement Award, the International Book Award for Green Fiction, and the 2017 Southern Book Prize for Fiction. Her bestselling novel The Beach House is also a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie. An active conservationist, she lives in the low country of South Carolina. The Islanders is her first novel for middle-grade readers. Visit her at MaryAliceMonroe.com and at Facebook.com/MaryAliceMonroe.
Angela May photograph by Docent Prodigy
ANGELA MAY is a former television news journalist and media specialist. She’s been working with Mary Alice Monroe for more than a decade as a publicist and assistant. The Islanders is their first book together! Angela lives with her family in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. Connect with her at angelamaybooks.com.
Aladdin
Simon & Schuster, New York
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Mary-Alice-Monroe
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Angela-May
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
ALADDIN
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First Aladdin hardcover edition June 2021
Text copyright © 2021 by Mary Alice Monroe
Illustrations copyright © 2021 by Jennifer Bricking
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Designed by Tiara Iandiorio
This book has been cataloged with the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-1-5344-2727-3 (hc)
ISBN 978-15344-2729-7 (eBook)
The Islanders Page 21