In the winter of 1965, Norman "Wormy" Fishbein is enduring not only a cold winter but also the usual torments and annoyances from his two older brothers. When Norman wins a thousand dollars in the “Count-the-Doozy-Dots Contest” his parents let him choose how to spend it, strongly suggesting a new car is what the family needs. But Norman decides what his family really needs is their first vacation that doesn’t mean camping in a tent—a trip to Miami Beach.

A snowstorm almost wrecks their plans, but in the end Norman gets his first plane ride (with both brothers air-sick on either side of him). Miami strikes him as a paradise—warm weather, palm trees, beaches, and ocean. They stay in luxury at the Royal Palm Hotel, owned by the mysterious millionaire Herbert Spitzer, and meet the three Horvath sisters, who become their rivals. Norman feels a kinship with Amy, the youngest Horvath sister, and they begin a secret friendship.

One day at the pool Norman spots an old man in a black suit, who his father tells him is a once-famous comedian named Mort Ziff. (Norman’s father thought that Mort Ziff had died years ago.) Holding onto the remains of his career, Mort Ziff is performing every night in the hotel dining room. A chance meeting with Mort while Norman and Amy are sharing a grilled cheese sandwich in the coffee shop begins an unusual friendship with the old comedian. Norman and Amy come to his aid when the hotel cancels Mort Ziff’s show, replacing him with The Centipedes, a pop group imitating the Beatles.

 

Cary Fagan is the author of more than twenty books for young readers, as well as a number of award-winning adult books. Cary Fagan was the recipient of the Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People, which is given out by the Writers Trust of Canada for a body of work. He has also won the Jewish Book Award and been shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award, the Rocky Mountain Book Award, the Hackmatack Award Award, the Norma Fleck Award, and the Shining Willow Award. His recent middle grade novel, The Show to End All Shows, was shortlisted for the 2015 John Spray Mystery Award, and his picture book Mr. Zinger's Hat was given to every grade one student in Canada last year as part of the TD Grade One Give-Away program. His books have been translated into Catalan, Chinese, Dutch, French, Italian, Spanish and Turkish.