What a delightful read from Casey Lyall, who brings humour and fun while dealing with the sensitive issue of Alzheimer's. Using alternating chapters, readers get to know twelve-year-old Lemon and gnome-alien Gnedley. Lemon is extremely close to her grandfather, who recently moved into a home due to his Alzheimer's diagnosis. Grandpa Walt's claim to fame in their small town is his insistence on meeting the gnome-looking alien Gnedly, when Lemon's father was young. Unfortunately, this made both Grandpa Walt and Lemon's father the butt of many jokes and teasing.

When Gnedley returns after 30 years, is it by accident or perhaps for other reasons? When Lemon realizes Gnedley and the aliens are back, she is determined to prove her father was wrong; Gnedley does exist, and needs to reunite him with her grandfather. Gnome is Where Your Heart Is, is a tender story about family relationships and the special bonds grandchildren can have with grandparents.

Thank you, Netgalley and Casey Lyall, for the ARC. I leave this review voluntarily and happily. Also, thank you to the publishers for your hard work!

This was such a great book. It was full of laughter, some sadness, quirks and overall just a good time. A grandfather with alzheimer's disease believes he saw an alien and a spacecraft when he was younger. He tells the story over and over, becoming the laughing stock of the town. His granddaughter believes him completely and does whatever she possibly can to prove he's right. Is he telling the truth? That's for you to find out.

This story is such a read, and I had a hard time putting it down. I felt connected to Lemon and her drive to prove her grandfather was telling the truth. No one believed in him but her. The emotions you feel as the story progresses are genuine. Not only that, there is also a bit of a mystery involved.

The more you read, the more you realize there's actually a villain. Who's the bad guy? Is it really the person of interest or the one pointing fingers? That's up to you. With everything combined, this book as a whole is a heartfelt read. I'm so glad I was able to read it.

This totally reminded me of The True Meaning of Smekday. But, in many ways, it's even better. I can't wait to use it as a read aloud this year.

Lemon AKA Lenore is bound and determined to prove her grandfather isn't making up his story about meeting a real live gnome. With his fading memory from Alzheimer's she must hurry but the aliens, the gnomes, have agendas of their own. Will Lemon succeed? I'm not telling... read for yourself!

A touching book about a girl determined to harness gnomes’ healing powers to help her grandpa with Alzheimer’s. Determination, belief, love.

This heartwarming adventurous story is fun to read for both kids and adults. As a teacher, I would love to read this book with my class and dig into the themes of friendship, supporting families who deal with dementia in their lives, family, hope, and loyalty. Author Casey Lyall takes the reader on a fun adventure via Lemon Peabody and her friends in trying to locate a long lost alien in hopes of helping her grandfather, who is living with dementia. During her adventures, Lemon learns some valuable lessons about friendship, discovers some things about her father's past, and ultimately learns how to accept that things in life change, but it doesn't have to be bad. Taking the reader on a few twists and turns, this book is a great read for all!

I wanted to read this one because I absolutely love gnomes and collect gnome things, so a gnome book was right up my alley! This story is wonderful and I cannot wait to share it with other readers!

Thank you for the digital ARC. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

Dementia's the worst. This book has a character who is going through the experience of slowly losing a beloved grandparent to Alzheimer's disease and adjusts to loving him even as he changes. Bittersweet.

The things we do to make connections and bring happiness to those we love ❤️

Lemon is a 13 year old girl who has grown up listening to her Grandpa tell her the story of the time he met an alien gnome named Gnemo. This experience he had is something that they connect through, and they have been working on a plan to find the gnomes and prove he wasn't making it all up. Lemon's dad, Patrick, keeps his distance from her grandpa due to the stigma attached to their family over the years.

But, Lemon is now facing a new problem. Her grandpa is beginning to forget. She has to find the truth before he can't remember they are looking.

This is one of the sweetest stories I have read, and it is a perfect middle grade book. It explores love, loyalty, mystery, science fiction, and the unbreakable bonds of family and friendship. There is representation for LGBTQ+ and POC. The story is beautiful and I recommend everyone take the time to read this well crafted story ❤️

Thanks so much NetGalley for the ARC!

This was absolutely adorable - a quick and easy read for an afternoon but one that had great characters, a well developed plot, and hit on some important topics for the target audience. Casey Lyall manages to cover grief, aging, illness (Alzheimer’s), and other tough topics in a way that is accurate but appropriate for middle-grade readers and the story is really stinking cute too.

Highly recommend for all young readers, and honestly any adult that just needs something fun to escape into. It’s worth the couple hours it will take to get through - excellent work!

Awesome read! I love the personalities of the characters in this book. The author shares an experience of an illness with an adventure. I would recommend this book to families that have a member with Alzheimer's. It gives insight to the disease for someone who hasn't experienced it before, and offers an out of this world distraction.

“Gnome is Where Your Heart Is” is a middle grade novel by Casey Lyall. It will be released on May 30, 2023. Be sure to preorder this one!

I received an eARC from NetGalley, Greenwillow Books, and Harper Collins Publishers.

This is the story of a girl named Lemon, her father, and grandfather. Grandpa Walt has moved into a retirement home and has Alzheimer’s. For his entire life he insisted he met an alien who looked like a garden gnome named Gnemo. Lemon believes him, but her dad (Walt’s son) does not.

This story is at the heart about family. Believing in someone or something bigger than yourself.

I don’t know quite what it was that inspired me to request this eARC. Actually- I think it was entirely because of Grandpa Walt. Grandparents are precious. And you simply can’t go wrong with a book about aliens that look like garden gnomes.