I enjoyed this story very much! Cat and Chicken are close to my heart. We share similar experiences and much of their story brought me back to my own childhood. Heartwarming and beautiful. I have recommended this to many of my students.

I received an arc of this book from NetGalley for an honest review. A beautiful book that young readers will enjoy along with some adults.

This is a must-read family story for middle-grade readers. Full of heart, the characters will stay with the reader for a long time.

A girl spends several weeks of her summer on the island her mother grew up, getting to know the grandparents she's never met and trying to help her younger brother who is on the spectrum adjust to changes. A really lovely story about keeping promises, learning to accept help, and not sacrificing too much of yourself to make other people happy. A great story of learning to find the balance in life.

Cat and chicken have a very special bong. This sweet and sentimental read will be a summer reading club favorite.

Love the cover illustration - definitely one of the reasons I pick up this book. An excellent heartwarming story for middle graders that left a few tears in my eyes.

What grabbed me about this book was the cover. Right off the bat, I was intrigued by the title and the gorgeous beach on the front. A fishing pole and what appears to be a brother and a sister told me this would be a perfect summer read, and it was. This story touched my heart in so many ways-both with family and self-discovery. My heart broke and also healed. I would recommend to those who love heartwarming stories.

Thank you NetGalley and Bloomsbury for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Cat and her brother Chicken have a special bond. Their father passed away and their mother constantly works in her home office, so Cat takes on the role of parent. She does everything from cooking to knowing how to calm Chicken when he has a meltdown. She knows his favorite toy and lets him sleep next to her. Chicken has a lot of needs, more than a different brother might, but Cat handles them with patience and grace. Cat is the unnoticed glue holding her family together.

When their summer plans quickly change, Cat and Chicken are put in the care of grandparents they’ve never met before. The reason why her mother hasn’t spoken with her grandfather in twelve years is a mystery to Cat - a mystery she wants to solve. As Cat gets to know her grandparents, the island they live on, and a new friend, Cat starts to let go and be a kid. She starts to trust others to help with Chicken, and she learns a lot about herself and her family along the way.

Kat has been growing up taking a great deal of responsibility for her younger brother whose care can often be challenging. Circumstances call for the two children to stay with their grandparents during the summer, and the visit opens doors to new relationships and understanding for the entire family.

Early digital copy provided by NetGalley.

Chicken and Cat are driven by their mother to stay with grandparents they have never met. The discomfort is palpable and the loneliness for a father who passed away is still being felt by everyone. The beauty of living on an island is deeply realized by the children and life lessons are learned at a slow, comfortable pace. I really enjoyed this coming of age story.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

Cat has always helped take care of her brother Chicken. While not specifically stated in the book, Chicken is clearly on the spectrum and needs constant attention. Cat's mom is a busy author and illustrator so Cat often is responsible for Chicken. Just like Caterpillar in her's mom's book, Cat is the good one, the patient one. When plans fall through for their summer vacation Cat and Chicken end up on an island with the grandparents they have never met. Turns out they don't know much about their mom's childhood or why she hasn't talked to her father since before Cat was born.
Can Cat find a way to reunite them - maybe through fishing? And can she start to develop a life outside of just taking care of Chicken?
This was a sweet book. The mom's book characters, Cat and Chicken appeared to be a nod to Elephant and Piggie :) I enjoyed this story - there was some good tension near the end that resolved well.

I requested CATERPILLAR SUMMER because of the setting on the NC coast and because of the sibling dynamic mentioned in the description. Otherwise, I'm not a huge MG reader, or rather, I am pretty picky when it comes to MG books. Thankfully CATERPILLAR SUMMER exceeded my expectations. The beach setting is beautifully rendered and McDunn does a terrific job at conveying complex family dynamics in an entertaining and approachable way. I particularly enjoyed the nuances of Cat's relationship with her mother and grandparents. The story concludes with some nice messages but never feels preachy or heavy-handed. I will look forward to other books by this author.

This was a beautiful story! I expected for it to be similar to the book Rules, but I was mistaken. This book is about family dynamics, holding a grudge, possible forgiveness and what constitutes love. There were many places in this book that tears poured out of my eyes. This book would make an excellent read aloud or for my classroom library. Thank you @netgalley for the ARC.

Wonderful middle grade read about family, forgiveness, and love. Cat "Caterpillar" and her brother "Chicken" unexpectedly spend the summer with the grandparents they just met. Their mom, still dealing with the death of their father, puts her work first and Cat has to step up and help. Chicken, 7, has some challenges and often runs away, but Cat knows how to help him when no one else can. Cat spends the time trying to figure out why her mom stopped talking to her grandparents, especially her quiet, reserved grandfather. She participates in a fishing contest in hopes it'll bring her closer to her grandfather and help mend his relationship with her mother (who was a fishing champion). These 3 weeks spent in North Carolina (from San Francisco) were the most important 3 weeks of Cat's life as she tries to figure out so much on her own.

This book touches upon so many relatable and relevant themes. Cat and Chicken are biracial and this left me wondering if this was the cause of the rift in relationship between daughter and father. One of the characters Cat soon discovers isn't all bad and all good - she realizes that people can be a mix of both some bad and some good. The self-discovery for Cat is wonderful to see how she changes throughout the book. Chicken represents siblings (and children) who have behavioral challenges (he may have been autistic but I think it's great that there was no label on him). Characters were so well written I wish this book never ended!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley. This book has an interesting way of sharing enough details to provoke a lot of questions; I predict children reading this will have a lot of "whys;" why did the grandparents go so many years without seeing the children? Why was Cat treated so differently? Just what did Chicken experience? What caused the rift between Cat's mother and her father? How long before they would visit again? I had expected that there might have been more about the death of their father. The book has a gentle way of sharing differences while including commonalities.

Twelve-year-old Cat takes on a lot of responsibility caring for her brother Chicken, who has meltdowns and sometimes wanders off. Their mom spends a lot of time working to provide for them, after their dad died. Cat and Chicken are supposed to visit friends for a few weeks while their mom works, but the family they are going to be visiting has to leave town unexpectedly. The solution is for Cat and Chicken to their grandparents, who they've never met. Cat is determined to find out what happened between her grandfather and mom that caused the big rift and strained relationship. A sweet story of family, friendships, and forgiveness.

Sometimes kids have to grow up fast, and that’s the reality for Cat. Since her Dad passed away, she has to care for her little brother who is autistic. We’re talking food, bed times, chase him down if he runs off in public—basically, she’s the parent because mom’s working. Most of the time it’s all good, but once in a while, she wishes she could be free of the responsibility.

When plans fall through for Cat to stay with her friend while her mom works, she and her brother get shipped off to a little island off the Carolina coast. Grandma is thrilled to see them and friendly from the start, but grandpa is more stand-off-ish. When grandma takes over caring for her little brother, Cat suddenly finds herself able to explore new things, like fishing, making a friend, being a kid for once, and discovering the mystery of what happened between her mom and grandpa that caused the rift in their family to start with.

This is a powerful look at why relationships matter and why anger can be such a destructive thing if left to affect relationships for far too long. Gillian’s writing is real and powerful. I love the ocean and her descriptions brought me right back there.

Well done. I’ll be getting this one for my shelves.

McDunn beautifully weaves an emotion-filled, coming-of-age story with a strong female main character named Cat who you will adore as much as me. Cat is a protective big sister for her special needs brother who often has meltdowns and runs away but she's ready to be more -- she's ready to have her own life and for her mom to see that. Cat finds the opportunity when her children’s book author-illustrator mom leaves she and her brother at their estranged grandparents' house for the summer. There, Cat develops a special relationship with her grandparents, helps heal the rift between her grandfather and her mother, makes a good friend, and learns how to fish so can enter the local kids fishing contest. It's an absolutely lovely story that addresses growing up, race, special needs, family, and reconciliation.

This book is a wonderful moving story! I loved the characters and how they interacted. I got lost in the story when I read this! I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to others!