Author: Sara Zarr
Genre: realistic fiction
Similar books: Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros
Violets are Blue by Barbara Dee
Rating:
.JPG)
Summary (provided by publisher): Krya has always felt like she’s a bit too much. Too tall. Too loud. Too earnest. But she’s okay with that, because she’s got her mom. Ever since Mom got sober about five years ago, she and Kyra have always been there for each other—something Kyra is thankful for every week when she attends her group meetings with other kids of alcoholics. When Mom is managing her cleaning business and Kyra is taking care of things at home, maybe, she thinks, she’s not too much. Maybe, she’s just enough.
Then seventh grade starts, and everything Kyra used to be able to count on feels unsure. Kyra’s best friend, Lu, is hanging out with eighth graders, and Mom is unusually distant. When Mom starts missing work, sleeping in, and forgetting things, Kyra doesn’t dare say “relapse." But soon not saying that word means not saying anything at all—to Lu or to her support group. And when Kyra suspects that her worst fears might be real, she starts to question whether being just enough is not enough at all.
My opinion: There are some books out there about kids dealing with the realization that their parent has a problem with addiction. This may be the first I've read where the parent is an acknowledged addict in recovery. It takes the standard narrative of a single mother and child struggling to get by on their own, the tight budget and extra responsibility on the child, and adds a new element. Kyra is a strong character and a realistic one. She's a middle grade kid. She takes on responsibilities and craves independence but remains desperate for approval and love. She has fears that she doesn't know how to articulate. This all comes together in a narrative that is at times uncomfortable but ultimately affirming.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley
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