Release Date: June 6, 2017

Leslie Marshall returns to Avalon in the summer of 1992 with her African- American husband and their two children.  Leslie has inherited her parents estate on the island and her father was once a key executive at Grudder Aviation. Grudder is the island’s biggest employer but environmental issues have tarnished its’ reputation.

The Marshalls immediately attract attention from folks on the island because they are perceived as different. Prior to their death, Leslie’s own parents did not accept her husband, Jules, which kept them from visiting Avalon. Jules feels uncomfortable living on the island, encountering prejudices from many of the residents.

Maddie Pencott LaRosa is a teenager living on the island and is the granddaughter to the patriarch of Grudder Aviation. She is being raised by an abusive father and an absentee mother. Maddie falls in love with the Marshall’s son, Brooks, and tries to shield him from her racist father. As tensions build over the summer, so does the population of gypsy moths.

This story explores the judgements that divide people into social classes due to wealth and racial stereotypes. It also shows how parents can attempt to push their own biases onto younger generations. This is Julia Fierro’s second book.