Gnome Is Where Your Heart Is

Lemon Peabody loves spending time with Grandpa Walt. Even though Grandpa Walt has been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and moved to an assisted living facility, he’s still the same funny, loving grandpa he’s always been. One of Grandpa’s claims to fame is his story about meeting an alien years ago—and that it looked like a garden gnome. Ever since, it’s been something of a town-wide joke, and the cause of a rift between Grandpa and Lemon’s dad. Lemon is determined to find those extraterrestrial gnomes and vindicate Grandpa Walt—while Grandpa can still remember it.

Late one night, after seeing the flash of a spaceship during a storm, Lemon enlists the help of two friends to find out what might have crashed in the woods. But then the aliens find her, and nothing after that goes the way she expected. Lemon is sure she can convince the aliens to fix Grandpa Walt’s memory and bring back the grandpa she misses so much for good. But the aliens are dealing with problems of their own. With a little creativity and compassion, maybe they can all help one another.

Casey Lyall’s hilarious, voice-driven novel bursts with heart and humor. She expertly balances both action and emotion to keep readers turning the pages. With family and friendship—and aliens!—at its core, Gnome Is Where Your Heart Is will captivate readers of Rebecca Stead’s and Wendy Mass’s Bob, Greg Van Eekhout’s Weird Kid, and Adam Rex’s The True Meaning of Smekday.