To Night Owl From Dogfish

Twelve-year-olds Avery Bloom and Bett Devlin discover their single fathers are dating each other after meeting at a conference. The girls learn they're being sent to summer camp together while their dads travel abroad. Though complete opposites in personality, Avery and Bett begin corresponding through emails and letters. Their initial plan to sabotage their fathers' relationship evolves as they navigate unexpected changes and challenges at camp. The story follows a year of communication between the two girls as they deal with family dynamics, friendship, and growing up. Their relationship develops through their written exchanges about their lives, families, and hopes for the future. This middle-grade novel explores themes of chosen family, accepting change, and finding connection in unlikely places. The epistolary format captures authentic young voices while examining how relationships can transcend traditional family structures.

Readers note this middle-grade novel's unique format told entirely through emails and letters. Parents appreciate its portrayal of diverse families and LGBTQ relationships in an age-appropriate way. Many highlight the authentic friendship development between the main characters and their distinct voices. Readers liked: - The humor and witty dialogue - Strong character growth - Modern take on The Parent Trap concept - Representation of different family structures Common criticisms: - Some found the email format repetitive - Plot becomes predictable - Secondary characters lack depth - Pacing slows in middle sections Ratings: Goodreads: 4.0/5 (6,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.6/5 (380+ ratings) Sample review: "The characters feel like real 12-year-olds, not mini-adults. Their growth from enemies to friends happens naturally." - Goodreads reviewer Critical review: "The email format gets tedious. Would have preferred some regular narrative chapters mixed in." - Amazon reviewer

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🦉 Like classic stories such as The Parent Trap, this novel features two girls plotting to get their parents together—but with a modern twist, as their dads are gay single fathers who met on a dating site. 📝 The entire book is written in emails, letters, and other forms of written communication between the characters, making it an epistolary novel. 🤝 Authors Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer wrote the book by actually emailing each other back and forth in character, truly inhabiting the voices of their respective protagonists. 🌈 The book was praised for its natural, authentic representation of LGBTQ+ families, avoiding making the parents' sexuality the central focus of the story. 🎭 Both authors have impressive entertainment industry backgrounds: Sloan has written and directed several Hollywood films, while Wolitzer's novel "The Wife" was adapted into an Oscar-nominated film starring Glenn Close.