Sam Makes a Splash

The House on Sunrise Lagoon #1

by Nicole Melleby

From acclaimed author Nicole Melleby comes a cheerful, uplifting story of family and belonging, the first in new series perfect for fans of the Vanderbeekers and the Penderwicks.

If you want to get to know eleven-year-old Samantha Ali-O’Connor, you need to know three things:

One, she isn’t the only one of her siblings who is adopted, but she is the only one whose name isn't inspired by the ocean.

Two, she and Harbor always compete with each other to be the best Oldest Sibling—and just about everything else.

And three, she is determined to prove she's a real Ali-O'Connor by taking over the family business, repairing and chartering boats.

Except there's a Capital-P Problem: Her mothers have been Serious Whispering about selling the business before summer's end! Sam needs to come up with a plan, quick, before Harbor finds out. And before Sam loses her chance to inherit the business and be an Ali-O'Connor forever. 

Genres: Middle Grade, LGBT, Family, Contemporary, Childrens, Adoption, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2023

About the author

Nicole Melleby, a Jersey native, is the author of highly praised middle-grade books, including the Lambda Literary finalist Hurricane Season and ALA Notable Children's book How to Become a Planet. She lives with her wife and their cats, whose needs for attention oddly align with Nicole’s writing schedule.

Feel free to follow her on Twitter @LadyMelleby

Reviews

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've got the perfect wholesome summer pride rec for you!

If you've been here for a minute, you might remember just how much I loved Camp QUILTBAG which is co-authored by Nicole Melleby and ever since, I've been trying to read all of her books. Thanks to @algonquinyr I was able to get my hands on these two adorable reads!

The House on Sunrise Lagoon series follows the Ali-O'Connor family and the kids adventures on the Lagoon. The Ali-O'Connors are comprised of:

Mom: a boat repair person and captain

Mama: a teacher

Harbor: the oldest and bossiest (and grumpiest) sibling

Sam: the second oldest and most careful

Marina: the middle with anxiety (honestly classic)

Cordelia: a twin and the most adventurous

Lir: a twin and the most scientific

Good Boy: the rambunctious Great Dane always eager to eat scraps and also a big scaredy cat who often hides in the bathroom

In Sam Makes a Splash we follow Sam as she tries to save her Mom's business and claim her spot in the family. Both Sam and Marina are adopted and share the struggle of remembering that they absolutely 100% belong in the family. Sam will tug at your heartstrings and make you want to give her the biggest hug.

I've just started Marina in the Middle but already know it's gonna be my favorite. As a fellow anxious middle child who is constantly on the lookout for danger and trying to keep everyone safe and indoors with a book, I relate hard to Marina. She feels like Sam and Harbor are her Mom's favorites and the twins are her Mama's favorites and she's determined to be noticed. I also lived on a lake for a handful of years as a teenager and was just like Marina. I didn't like swimming in the lake water (ew too many icky slimy things), I didn't like the boat (too hot and out of my control), and I sure would've rather stayed inside with the dogs and a book.

So come and hang out with the loveliest queer family on the Lagoon and enjoy the summer!

Please enjoy these pictures of my own Good Boy, Oliver, on my dad's boat.

Thanks so much again to @algonquinyr and @nicolemelleby
🥰🥰🥰

#algonquin #TheHouseOnSunriseLagoon #NicoleMelleby #QueerReads #QueerReader #Queer #QueerAllYear #QueerLove #Sapphic

[Eva B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one reads a lot younger than Nicole Melleby's other middle grade books and while I didn't like it as much as her other ones, it has a super sweet summery vibe akin to the Penderwicks series! A great way to kick off summer reading <3

[Jamie Johnson Leach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Same old story, but I think 3rd-5th graders will enjoy

[Scarlett O · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very cute and I am super excited to read the next ones!

[Stacey Feehley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first story in an adorable series! Follow 11 year old Samantha as she tries to save her families business! She is going to prove this summer that she is an official Ali-O'Connor even though she is adopted by being the one who repairs the charter boats her family works on.

My 10 year old loved this book, especially since we are a charter boat family! She is so excited to read the second book in the series!

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in the 1950s and learned to read from the Dick and Jane series. They had a mother and father. not two mothers, two fathers, or only one parent. My grandkids are growing up without a mother, with only my son as a father. Families in reality come in many configurations other and than a mother or father. When a child is in school, often they are made to feel that they are different, it is time to celebrate different kinds of families.
Sam, short for Samantha, only became a part of the family three years ago, not the only adopted child but the newest one. Her Mom fixed boats and drove them while the other parent, Mama did the cooking, bought the clothes, and signed the notes for school.

There is a big problem, Samantha overheard a talk between the two mothers that Mom, the one who adopted her might have to close her business and work for someone else. Samantha had always wanted to take over the business. If Mom closed it, there would go her dream.

The family worked, played together, made mistakes, and loved each other. You will root for the whole family.

[Amy Hoch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, this was a DNF for me. I was reading it to my daughter and it was highly inappropriate. There is no need to subject young kids to adult, same-sex relationships.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by Young Adult Books Central

The Ali-O'Connors live in New Jersey on a lagoon near the seaside. Mom repairs boats and takes people out in her boat, and Mama teaches and helps with the business' bookkeeping. Sam was adopted after being fostered by the family, and joins siblings Marina (who is also adopted and has Mexican heritage) and Harbor, as well as seven year old twins Cordelia and Lir who have Mama's Syrian ancestry. The children know that summer has started when the Badger brothers arrive to stay with their grandparents, and the summer activities begin. This is hard for Sam, because she hasn't learned to swim well, which is a problem given where they live. She is also concerned that she has caused the family financial difficulty, since her adoption was expensive, and the boat business isn't doing well. She is saving her money from doing chores to help, especially when Mom sells boats to Joe Koch, and Sam thinks that Mom might sell the business and go work for him. Cordelia and Lir get involved and ask everyone in their community for help, which wasn't exactly what the grownups wanted! The Badger brothers entice the siblings into taking some risky chances, but things work out. Sam really wants to take over the boat business when she grows up, because it makes her feel like she is part of the family, but will the business still be there?

Children worry more about family finances than parents realize, so it was interesting that Sam was worried for the family. The mix of biological and adopted children is discussed freely, which is a bit of a change from a few years ago, and Sam visits her grandmother in an assisted living facility, and Marina talks about visiting with her father. The desire to be part of a large family still persists today, even though there are not nearly as many large families in the 2020s-- the suggested power of The Brady Bunch lingering on, perhaps?

I have noticed that many of my students don't know how to swim, and this seems particularly dangerous. Sam's attempts to learn, even though fraught with difficulty, were an especially good conclusion. I have to admit that I don't quite understand the topography of the New Jersey lagoon, but anyone living near water should certainly have this skill.

The blurb for this compared it to Birdsall's The Penderwicks or Glaser's The Vanderbeekers, but this seems more like Levy's Misadventures of The Family Fletcher, especially The Family Fletcher Takes Rock Island, and has a bit in common with Donoghue's The Lotterys.

[OpenedBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

The House on Sunrise Lagoon holds a family full of love for each other. That said, living in a big family isn’t always easy. There are a lot of different characters that have to compete with each other for attention. But both moms do everything they can to do just that. They equally love birth children and adopted children and also each other. This love creates a sanctuary for every child to grow up safe and happy. But it isn’t always easy to accept this unconditional love when you’ve had bad experiences. Sam has been with the Ali-O’Connor family for three years now, and even though her moms treat her like their own, she can’t shake the feeling that she needs to solidify her place in this family. And what would be better to achieve that than to take over mom’s boating business one day? All Sam has to do is prove herself worthy. But when she overhears her moms talking about giving up the business, her future crumbles. Now, Sam has to try everything to prevent this outcome. But soon, she has to learn that sneaking around and lying about her feelings is never the way to solve problems.

A lot is going on in this family. No wonder with five children! And I’m happy there will be more books about the other children because everyone is incredibly unique and fascinating. I admire the Ali-O’Connors for the patience and strength they are giving their children. It is beautiful to see and makes you believe in the good in this world. Families like this do exist, and bringing up children with that much love - even when life gets hard sometimes - instead of hate will save us all. Naturally, Sam wants to be a part of this - who wouldn’t? But just as hard as it can be to provide this love, it often is equally hard to accept it.

[superawesomekt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an Oregon Battle of the Books selection for 2024-25 (3-5 grades).

I listened to the audiobook—it was performed well by Taylor Meskimen.

I am a bit of a book snob when it comes to children's literature and the title and cover of this volume are not in a style that appeals to me. If I'm totally honest, I thought this title might have been selected more because it ticks a diversity box (the family is a merged family, includes adopted children, and has two mothers as the parents) than because of its storytelling value.

SO... I was pleasantly surprised with how interesting and engaging the characters and the story are. The family has very realistic sibling and parent dynamics (there are 5 kids, which is how many were in my family growing up). The setting is very fun—it's on the Jersey shore (New Jersey, USA), somewhere I've never been, and the kids are running around on boats and docks, swimming, going to BBQs.. it just feels so summery and wholesome. There are problems and attempts to solve them, but it's not too heavy. The reader knows it's going to work out in the end. What kept it from being a 4-star read? I did not like all the lack of communication (a pet peeve of mine), especially on the part of the parents and a few other weaknesses in the plot / style.

So, while it's not a profoundly written book that is likely to win any awards, it is very sweet, well-paced and family-positive. It's not naively oblivious to the challenges a lesbian couple and their kids might face socially, but it doesn't make that the focus of the book. It's really about Sam finding stability in her relatively new-to-her (adopted) family.

[Jill Jemmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eleven-year-old Samantha Ali-O’Conner doesn’t feel like she belongs in her family. She’s one of two adopted siblings, but all of the other kids have names that are related to the ocean. She’s always competing with her sister Harbor, who is four months older than her and also has one of her mom’s boats named after her. Samantha thinks that the one way she could really belong in the family is to take over her mom’s boat repair business when she’s older. However, that may not be possible when she overhears her moms talking about closing the business. Samantha needs to come up with a plan to save her family’s legacy so she can finally belong.

This was such a great middle grade novel. I loved the character development. There were eight members of the Ali-O’Conner family, as well as many neighbours in the story, but they all felt like distinct, real people. Samantha’s story was relatable. Every child feels like they don’t belong somewhere at some point in their life, just like Samantha felt in her family.

Samantha Makes a Splash is a great middle grade story!

Thank you Algonquin Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book!

[Alex (Pucksandpaperbacks)]

I was sent a physical copy of this book from the publisher. All thoughts are my own.

In the first book of The House on Sunrise Lagoon series, we follow the big, blended family of the Ali-O’Connor’s (including a Great Dane named Good Boy) set on Tices Shoal, NJ. We follow Sam, a foster child who was recently adopted by the Ali-O’Connor’s as she tries to find where she fits in and learns to swim.

I love Nicole Melleby’s books because of the way she writes family dynamics. In “Sam Makes a Splash”, Mom and Mama affirm their kids and help them learn from their wrong doings. She also writes children very realistically. I loved following Sam along her journey to save Mom’s boat, The Princess. You couldn’t help but root for her and her siblings as they go boat-to-boat to try and save the business.

A great read about an adoptee trying to find her place in her new family and what it means to be a family.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of The Vanderbeekers and the Penderwicks will love this new family: the Ali-O’Connors!
⚓️
Sam wants nothing more than to help her moms by taking over the family business one day. She’s always out with her sister, Harbor, working on the boats with their mom. Sam is also adopted, like several of her siblings, and believes taking over the family business one day will help solidify her place in the family. Unfortunately, Mom’s business isn’t doing so well and Sam is worried she’ll have to sell her boat and go work for someone else. Sam has the summer to figure out how to save the family business, and fast!
⚓️
Just adorable. I loved this MG book about a non-nuclear family and how it addresses having two moms, adopted siblings and how they all love each other so much. This one reads on the younger side of MG. Great job with the first novel in the series.

CW: adoption, homophobia

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a family with five kids, two moms, and a dog that eats everything in front of him Sam is not the oldest and she is adopted. Her fear of not securing a place in this family leads her to extra worry when she overhears her Mom will sell their boat and will work for someone else. Sam wants to save her moms' business and prove her worth (she's even worried that being the one who doesn't know how to swim will be against her), but she learns a great and valuable lesson about love, friendship, trust, and family instead. These adventures in The House in Sunrise Lagoon are full of summer be bed, activities, and mood. It's as if I can smell the salty water and hear the seascape, celebrating the 4th of July. I love Summer.
I also love how all the kids have different personalities and add conflict and fun to the plot.
I won this book during a giveaway hosted by the publisher.

[darcey_reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

I was looking for a middle grade story where there are two mums, as I've read/come across a few stories with two dads but never two mums. I do enjoy reading middle grade, but I will admit I definitely am a bit more particular with which ones I read - I do tend to judge them quite strongly based on their covers and titles - and this isn't a book I'd be drawn to if I hadn't been looking specifically for that representation. However, I did end up enjoying this book and would not be against continuing with the series.
Compared to other middle grade books I've read, I think this book is on the younger end of the middle grade age range, or even slightly younger than that (age 7 or 8 and up I'd say).

[Katie Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this so much! After hearing Melleby talk about why she wanted to write this series, her vision of a large family story with two moms, with a blended family of biological, foster and adopted kids, I knew this would be at the top of my to-read list. I love all the children's individual personalities, that their family is not perfect but full of love. The summer lagoon setting was delightful as were all the quirky neighbors. Great themes of belonging, inheritance, bravery and more. Sam's worries about her role in the family, her desire to run the family business and learn to swim, were relatable and unique too. A happy, gentle story that will appeal to a lot of middle grade readers.

[Danielle Hammelef · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved getting to know this diverse family with two moms, biological children and adopted children. The setting is one I've love to visit and experience for myself. There is lots of humor and laugh-out-loud moments as well as more serious ones that rounded out this heartwarming book and start of a series. The supportive adults and parents who show love for their kids and give them boundaries and rules for their safety delighted me. Good Boy was one of my favorite characters as he is a big goof and loyal pup. I have book two ready to read and can't wait already to continue getting to know these characters.

[Susan Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam is one of the oldest kids in the Ali-O'Connor family, but she's also one of the adopted ones. Which, despite her mothers' reassurances that they love all their kids equally, has always bothered her. Her sister Harbor is just a few months older, and she and Sam are in competition over almost everything. They both fantasize about inheiriting their mom's boat repair business when they grow up. But when they find out that Mom is considerin selling the business, the girls decide that they'll do whatever it takes to keep this from happening. The first in a series about this blended and LGBTQI family. Fun!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Melleby's new series, The House on Sunrise Lagoon, kicks off with Sam Makes a Splash. Definitely going for a Penderwicks or Family Fletcher vibe. The lagoon setting and boating details are fun, though I found the pacing a bit slow and the kids' dialogue not always believable, and it's not as funny as those well-known big-family stories. Still would like to check out further installments. Looks like Marina's story comes next, which should be interesting since she clearly was struggling in this book but it kind of felt like her concerns were getting brushed away.

[Ruth Donahue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a has a very real feel of the challenges and joys of a family of adopted and blood-related children. The two oldest daughters show their insecurities and struggles of being 13 and worrying about the financial situation of the family. The mothers are very warm and nurturing which is reassuring to the characters and the reader. Many children will relate to the tensions between siblings and the challenges of sharing a bedroom and finding alone time with a parent. Great story for children who have experienced divorce or adoption.

[IrenesBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fun heartwarming story about an adopted child trying to find their place in their family. It was easy to read, had plenty of adventure with relatable dialog. This is the first in a series called "House On Sunrise Lagoon." I will definitely be reading the others in this series as I really fell in love with the characters!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher Algonquin Young Readers, for the temporary digital ARC that I read and gave my honest opinion of.

[Wendi (Alex) Werner · Rating 2 out of 5]

OMG the overuse of "Mama" is driving me mad. How old is she ,one? Where I live only babies say Mama. Maybe it's a cultural thing. I know it's my own issue. It mostly stood out because at one point I heard " Mama" 11 times in one minute of listening.
I'm also confused that if Sam has been in the family for 3 years and they go to the beach in the summer, how does she not know how to swim yet?
My audiobook was full of glitches often repeating the beginning of chapters in the middle of a chapter and missing the very end of the story.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book as it is on the list for Oregon Battle of the Books 2024-2025. Maybe younger readers will enjoy it but I found the “sell the business” plot to be lacking for how much time was spent discussing it. I can appreciate how they looked at the various insecurities that the different family members felt as foster, step or biological siblings but didn’t find myself drawn to any one character as a favorite.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

A lovable family on a picturesque lagoon faces new decisions and questions about fitting in as each of the quirky siblings struggles in their own way. While it's plenty fun to spend time with these characters, there is no big payoff even for patient readers. It is nice to occasionally pick up a low-conflict, low-stakes title and Sam Makes a Splash fits fits the bill of warmly pleasant throughout.
It won't, however, convince reluctant readers in the age group.

[Cammy]

This reminded me a lot of the Penderwicks, which I love! I think it's a great read for people who loved that series. I will say, though, these kids got into so much trouble that it stressed me out! I also think it might take a little to understand all of the water/boating terms. But this is definitely something I'd recommend to kids at the store (if we stocked it lol)

[Laura]

Cutesy. Hard to figure out which audience may like this best. I think grade 1 or 2 may be best, but the writing and language seems to be at a middle grade level. I like the big, blended family. We need more inclusion of that in kid lit. And considering how expansive the supporting cast of characters was in this, Melleby manages to keep from confusing the reader.

[Kristi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book would be a five star book but it has same sex relationships in it so it is not appropriate for children or anyone under 18 it’s like the vanderbeakers but they are trying to save their mothers charter and boat repair business I had to imagine one of the moms as a man so I could get through this book

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam Makes a Splash is a good book for middles schoolers. It's about a family with 2 moms, biological kids and adopted kids and a dog. There's a lot going on with the family and all their neighbors. The book teaches some good lessons and is a really good story.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into the characters, but I appreciate how this focuses on how adopted kids can feel like they're not really "family" compared to the members that are biologically related to each other.

[Becki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Goodreads for my copy!

My boat loving 8 year old ate this book up!! If you have a little one that's not a fan of reading, Nicole Melleby can change that! Will absolutely be buying him the rest of this series