Book excerpt: It's the worst summer on record for nearly-twelve-year-old Callie Boone. Not only has she been ditched by her best friend for someone more "awesome", but she may never live down her recent humiliation at the community pool. Her ex-drillsargeant mom is on her case, and her uncle Danny has moved in--along with cages of ferrets that he hopes to make his fortune breeding as pets, and which Callie's cranky grandma despises. The only things keeping her afloat are dive practices with her dad and a secret Olympic dream. That is, until a boy named Hoot moves in next door.But just when everything finally seems to be going her way, disaster strikes--one day she comes home to an ambulance in the driveway... only it's not her crotchety old grandma who's being taken away, it's her beloved dad. Now it's up to Callie to grow up fast and hold on tight to what matters most: her friendship with Hoot, the love of her family and a newfound belief in herself.This is a story that will make readers laugh and cry. There are no magic spells or paranormal characters, and the only fantasy is Callie's athletic dream. It's real, honest, crazy everyday life with all the joy and the agony that come with the territory.