The anticipated middle-grade follow-up to the award-winning Jacob's Landing finds Jacob trapped in a moral dilemma when his biological mom tracks him down just when he's about to be adopted. Thirteen-year-old Jacob has settled into life in Newport Landing with his grandparents after the sudden death of his father. His foster mother, Maggie, is getting ready to move to the province and adopt him; he has a close friend, Ruby, who lives nearby; and oh, yes--he recently found a literal fortune and he, his family, and the boat museum nearby are set for life. After the local paper publishes an article about his lucky find and generous donation to the museum, though, Jacob's life is turned upside down again. His mother, who left him and his father so long ago Jacob can't even remember her, finds him. Jade is everything Jacob is not: reckless, wild, a rule breaker. Jacob is trying to keep up with her and keep her a secret from his grandparents, who will barely speak her name. The more tensions build, the more Jacob worries he has a terrible choice ahead. Full of local colour, this heartfelt follow-up to the Hackmatack award-nominatedJacob's Landing shows the complex tangle of grief and hope, and explores the many ways a family is made.

Coping with the recent death of his father, twelve-year-old Jacob Mosher is sent to spend the summer with his aging, estranged (and strange!) grandparents in rural Newport Landing, Nova Scotia. Reluctantly, he trades the security of his foster mum in “Upper Canada” for a blind grandfather, Frank, who dresses like a sea captain and conducts flag-raising ceremonies, and a quirky grandmother, Pearl, who sometimes forgets her dentures and has Jacob running in circles. Jacob has two short months to figure out how to deal with his ailing grandfather, the surging Avon River tides, and the family secret that’s haunting his newfound grandparents. He didn’t expect so much danger and mystery to be lurking in tiny Newport Landing.

In this high-interest accessible novel for middle readers, after his dad dies, twelve-year-old Max struggles to balance playing hockey with supporting his grieving mother and a brother who is autistic.