A traditional family? Cape author pens book about a girl, her grandmother - and weather

Lynda Mullaly Hunt has had a lifelong passion for weather and Cape Cod, and she turned the two into an award-winning book.

On Jan. 18, Hunt was honored at the State House in Boston with the Massachusetts Center for the Book award for her novel, "Shouting at the Rain," in the middle grade/young adult category.

“The award means a lot to me, to be recognized by the state of Massachusetts because I love the state of Massachusetts,” Hunt said. “You can’t believe how honored I am by this.”

"Shouting at the Rain" was published in 2019. Awards for books published in that year are presented the following year, she said. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, however, there was no in-person ceremony in 2020. The ceremonies only resumed in January.

What is 'Shouting at the Rain' about?

In "Shouting at the Rain," Hunt draws from her own experience as a child and from her experience as a teacher for 10 years in Connecticut.

The story is about a girl named Delsie who loves to track the weather and who lives with her grandmother on Cape Cod, and although she is happy with Grammy, she begins to wish for a more traditional family.

All her life Hunt has been fascinated by the weather and used to sit by the window just watching storms.

“I just love a good storm,” she said.

And Delsie’s situation with her grandmother, Hunt said, is a common experience for many children.

One in four children are being raised by their grandparents.

In her travels as a speaker and talking to the children, she found many (more than 30% according to Pew Research Center) live with a grandparent or grandparents and when children in that situation talk about it, they often drop their eyes and turn away as if they are embarrassed or ashamed.

After Delsie’s best friend moves on to other friends, she develops a new friendship with a boy named Ronan with whom she has adventures in various Cape Cod sites, such as the Sundae School ice cream shop in Dennis Port, some places in Yarmouth and, for one chapter, in Nantucket.

Ronan is like many middle-school-aged boys who Hunt knew when she was a teacher — intelligent, caring and loyal, but having difficulty controlling his anger, which gets him into some trouble.

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With Ronan’s help, Delsie is able to come to terms with living with her grandmother and even appreciate it more.

“There are a lot of layers regarding the characters. It is about true friendships, friendships that make you feel whole rather than friends that don’t act like friends,” said Hunt. “I wanted to write a story that shows when you live with people who love you, you are not abandoned.”

'Shouting at the Rain' a love letter to Cape Cod

And to a certain degree, Cape Cod, itself, is a character.

“One of the major reviewers called it ‘a love letter to Cape Cod and the people who live there year-round.’ And that’s what it is,” Hunt said.

Surprisingly, although this is Hunt’s third book, it is the first that takes place on the Cape.

Hunt said when she was five years old, she asked Santa Claus for a house in Massachusetts.

She grew up and lived her entire life in Connecticut until nine years ago when she moved to Cape Cod. But her mother’s family lived in Watertown and she would visit for big family gatherings for holidays and other special events.

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“So, for me, going to Massachusetts was going to a party,” Hunt said.

In addition, her father would rent a cottage in Falmouth every summer. As an adult, her love for the Cape has grown even more.

“There is a quality about Massachusetts that is hard to articulate. I’ve been to 40 states and nothing compares to Massachusetts and Cape Cod,” Hunt said.

Other books by Lynda Mullaly Hunt — and movies

Her first two books, "One for the Henrys" (2012) and "Fish in a Tree" (2015), take place in Connecticut.

"Fish in a Tree" won the Schneider Family Book Award presented by the American Library Association and has been on The New York Times best-seller list for two years.

Both books, combined, Hunt said, are on 36 state lists and have been translated into more than 30 languages.

In addition, both books have been optioned to be made into movies, and "Fish in a Tree" is being adapted into a Broadway musical, Hunt said.

A picture book that features the characters from "Fish in a Tree" is expected to come out in February of next year, and Hunt is working on a new book, "On Solid Water," that takes place in Sandwich and is about a 13-year-old boy named Peter who plays hockey.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Award-winning Hunt book set in Dennis Port, Yarmouth and Nantucket