'He suddenly wished more than anything that he'd lived for today, and for all the thousands of todays he'd had, regardless of what hurdles life had thrown at him.'

Suddenly uprooted from everything and everyone she knows, bubbly fifteen-year-old Anna Maybury and her mother are forced to move in with the grandfather she has never met - a bad-tempered old man who disapproves of her very existence.

At ninety-seven, Algernon breaks his days up into a routine governed by the relentless ticking of the clock on the mantelpiece. It gives his life the structure and order he craves, but he's also incredibly lonely.

And soon, so is Anna. Her colourful personality doesn't seem to fit in at her new school and she begins to feel herself turning as dull and grey as the uniform.

Surprisingly, it's cranky old Algernon who is determined to do something about it. With a road trip to Cornwall on the cards and important life lessons to learn, it's going to be a summer neither of them will ever forget.

An emotional, uplifting read that will make you laugh and cry, perfect for fans of Mike Gayle, Eva Woods and Marianne Cronin.