This book was published by Viking Books for Young Readers .

Kristin Kladstrup lives with her family in Massachusetts, USA. This is her first novel. Of her inspiration, she says, "I have always loved the big, brick house in Iowa where my mother grew up. From its windows, I could imagine the ocean stretching out to the Iowa horizon. If I'd had the chance as a child, I might have written a story beginning about it, just as Oscar does. "