Peonies

What happens when two eleven-year-old best friends find out this is their last summer together? They turn the worst news ever into the time of their lives in The Peonies: Summer in the City.

Poppy and Esme (aka The Peonies) live in the same apartment building in New York City where they share a lively, non-traditional "friend-family" and are practically inseparable. But on the last day of fifth grade, the girls' parents drop a bomb: Esme and her family are moving to California. After the shock wears off, the tweens set out to earn enough money to purchase two very special, very expensive, matching friendship necklaces. They start a dog walking business, Peony's Prancing Pups, and the adventure begins.

The Peonies meet with resistance from skeptical grownups. They tackle the challenges of managing unruly canine clients. And they try to come to terms with the fact that soon they'll be living thousands of miles apart. The girls make a name for themselves in the neighborhood and are on track toward their financial goal when Esme, entrusted with their entire summer's savings, gets distracted by a boy and loses their envelope full of cash. Poppy is furious. Esme is inconsolable. Will the Peonies reconcile? Will they recoup their losses? Will they get their special friendship necklaces? And how will they finally say goodbye?

Join Poppy and Esme as they navigate the ups and downs of real-world subjects like friendship, family, and finances in this surprising and heart-warming story filled with loyalty, laughs, and lots of dogs!