Twelve-year-old Leah Baer has been shuffled to and from various households for years, but now she is back at her father’s house with his new wife. Although this move seems as if it might be a lasting one, Leah feels out of place both at home and at school. Then an unconventional boy named Will befriends her and persuades Leah to try acting to express her emotions. As Leah begins to learn more about herself she also gradually finds out what it means to be home.
Twelve-year-old Leah Baer has been shuffled to and from various households for years, but now she is back at her father’s house with his new wife. Although this move seems as if it might be a lasting one, Leah feels out of place both at home and at school. Then an unconventional boy named Will befriends her and persuades Leah to try acting to express her emotions. As Leah begins to learn more about herself she also gradually finds out what it means to be home.
Baskin creates a perfect tween voice in Leah, whose painfully real emotions and reactions help her find solace in an imperfect world. Heart-wrenching, bittersweet, and genuine to the very end.
The book offers a particularly tender acknowledgment of the importance of sibling bonds. This is a respectful and affecting portrait of a girl discovering family strengths as well as family weaknesses.
Baskin’s delicate exposition of emotionally fraught terrain will likely evoke strong responses from her preadolescent audience.
Characters are very appealing, and the plot will hold readers’ attention.
