A warm, tender story perfect for fans of Front Desk about a creative girl who hopes that by winning a filmmaking contest, she'll convince her great-grandfather to stay by her side.

Kaia and her family live near the beach in California, where the fun of moviemaking is all around them. Kaia loves playing with makeup and creating special effects, turning her friends into merfolk and other magical creatures.

This summer, Kaia and her friends are part of a creative arts camp, where they're working on a short movie to enter in a contest. The movie is inspired by the Filipino folktales that her beloved Tatang, her great-grandfather, tells. Tatang lives with her family and is like the sparkle of her special-effects makeup. When Tatang decides that it is time to return to his homeland in the Philippines, Kaia will do anything to convince him not to go.

Mae Respicio writes novels full of hope and heart. Her debut, The House That Lou Built, received the Asian/Pacific American Library Association Honor Award in Children's Literature and was an NPR Best Book of the Year. Mae lives in the Bay Area suburban wild with her husband and two sons, where they love hiking, hanging at the beach, and some good old-fashioned family slime time. Visit her online at maerespicio.com, and follow her on Twitter (@maerespicio) and Instagram (@maerespiciobooks).