In this beautifully constructed middle-grade novel, told half in prose and half in verse, Lauren prides herself on being a good sister, and Sierra is used to taking care of her mom. When Lauren’s parents send her brother to a therapeutic boarding school for teens on the autism spectrum and Sierra moves to a foster home in Lauren’s wealthy neighborhood, both girls are lost until they find a deep bond with each other. But when Lauren recruits Sierra to help with a Robin Hood scheme to raise money for autistic kids who don’t have her family’s resources, Sierra has a lot to lose if the plan goes wrong. Lauren must learn that having good intentions isn’t all that matters when you battle injustice, and Sierra needs to realize that sometimes, the person you need to take care of is yourself.

Out April, 2018

MY THOUGHTS:

I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

When you take a story and build it using different POVs, all perspectives must be done equally well or the story stalls.  This middle-grade read is so well put together, I will be using it in my writing workshops for my students to review. This is also a great example of mixing prose with verse to tell a story and help distinguish between the two perspectives.

If you’re looking for a book about friendship, bad choices and their consequences, loneliness, and lack of support where there should be some, then this is an example book to read.

The character building is extraordinary, both girls have a well-fleshed out personality and character flaws, they interact off each other perfectly and both of their actions creates excellent tension and conflict that will keep you glued to the pages.

I gave this book: