DO TEENAGE GIRLS COME WITH INSTRUCTION MANUALS?

The call came out of the blue–Annie's sister Dana is in rehab…can her thirteen-year-old daughter come stay in Maine with Annie? But the wild child in black and piercings is not the sweet little girl Annie remembers.

So much for the new pink towels. Surly, sullen and scared, Summer puts a gigantic wedge between Annie and her lover, her friends, even her wonderful ex-mother-in-law. Yet Annie has always described herself as a dandelion: not the prettiest flower perhaps, but the most determined and resilient.

She refuses to give up on Summer. As days become weeks, downs (slowly!) become ups and risks turn into rewards. And for Annie, the long walk home to what matters most has been worth every step.