Gnome Is Where Your Heart Is

In a sensitive novel from Lyall (A Spoonful of Frogs), an 11-year-old confronts her grandfather’s gradual decline due to Alzheimer’s disease, a family rift, and a rumor about aliens. Lenore “Lemon” Peabody loves nothing better than working with her beloved Grandpa Walt on Project Validation—seeking proof of his purported encounter 30 years ago with a green-skinned extraterrestrial who resembled a garden gnome. The whole town delights in the oft-told story and peppers their lawns with green gnomes, much to the chagrin of Lemon’s disbelieving father, who demands that she tone down the search now that Grandpa is in a retirement home. After a late-night incidence of flashing lights persuades Lemon that the aliens have returned, she enlists the aid of two friends—one a murder mystery writer with a morbid bent, the other a passionate mycologist—committed to establishing that Grandpa has always been right. Alternating, urgently rendered chapters follow the perspective of bumbling yet charming alien Ensign Gnedley, a plotline that parallels Lemon’s mission as they both seek answers around his kind’s previous Earth visit. Lyall strikes an even balance between heartwarming and heartbreak as Lemon’s independent spark, sharp wit, and deep compassion brighten the pages. Lemon is white; context clues suggest racial diversity across the supporting cast. Ages 8–12. Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, Bent Agency. (May)