Tag: books about foster care

REVIEW: What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

REVIEW: What I Carry by Jennifer Longo

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Muiriel is 17. One more year and she ages out of the foster care system. She’s learned to pack light – to LIVE light – with the goal of getting to 18, beating the odds, and living healthy and free on her own.

Her social worker begs her to settle in for this final year of high school. Her eyes are on college for Muiriel, and she knows a strong senior year is important. Joellen has always been there for her, and her request seems simple enough for Muir to agree.

Muir’s new home across the Sound from Seattle seems too perfect. Too many signs of the few things she anchors her life to – her namesake John Muir, the wilderness, and independence. But it’s also all wrong. She’s the only placement in the house, so she can’t hide in the chaos of other kids. Her foster mom, Francine, lives on five acres of land out in the middle of nowhere, so there’s no city noise but tons of quiet. And Joellen is a ferry-ride away, so she can’t call for a quick escape. Even if she did, there were no other placements that would take her.

But maybe this last placement will give Muir something she’s refused to let herself hope for – a sense of home.

Review

“Not being perfect is for people who have families; you can screw up and they still keep you.”

This book was amazing! Excellent! Stupendous! I don’t know that I have an adjective for how much I loved this book. I’ve always had a soft spot for foster care stories, but this is so much more than that!

Muir is one of the best characters I’ve read in awhile. There’s a thread of her “packing light” philosophy that runs through the whole book and is brilliant. Her gradual shift from living out of her suitcase to setting things ON the dresser before putting something IN the dresser was a glorious way to SHOW how she’s feeling about her placement. The trinkets she carries from foster home to foster home illustrate her experiences and show why she has built these protective walls around herself.

The other characters are just as amazing. And there are fantastic tidbits about John Muir, as well as a sweet romance, and a skewering commentary about racism woven into this bigger story that is fantastic.

When I step back from the story I loved and think about how the author built it – her understanding of the out-of-home care system, her excellence in conveying Muir’s thoughts and feelings, the layers to the story itself and the characters – I appreciate the book even more. Do not miss this AMAZING story! (Language, off-page sex)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥+++

REVIEW: Pavi Sharma's Guide to Going Home by Bridget Farr

REVIEW: Pavi Sharma’s Guide to Going Home by Bridget Farr

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Pavi Sharma has become something of an expert on foster care. In fact, she has a little business helping other foster kids in transition. She’s paid in Sharpies and Hot Cheetos. She teaches kids things like The Front Door Face, the expression to use at a new home to garner the right balance of sympathy and security so a foster family feels you will be a good placement. Pavi also uses her network of foster kids to get the real scoop on a new school or foster family to help a kid feel comfortable with a new placement.

But when Pavi hears that the new girl, Meridee, is going to the Nickersons, she doesn’t need to do any research. She knows from personal experience that no kid should go there. And she’s going to do whatever it takes to keep Meridee safe and far away from the Nickersons.

Review

I love a good, moving story about foster care like Touch Blue (middle grade) or A List of Cages (YA). And this definitely fits in that category. While I expected a bigger punch at the climax when everything comes out, this story is just right for a middle grade audience.

Pavi was a delight. My favorite part of the whole book was how she took on the role of mentor and guide for other foster kids – even the ones older than she is. The shelter folks seem to know something is going on, and they walk the line between confidentiality and filling Pavi in on some details. But they don’t seem to take her seriously in this mentor role. But the reader sees how important it is. And she’s doing it not to help kids scam the system or the foster parents but really to help the kids have a successful start at a new placement.

At the same time, Pavi does show some of the negatives that can happen with kids in the system – self-protective secrets (which shouldn’t be secret), easy lying, using her status as a foster kid to deflect some scrutiny, etc.. In this case she uses all those things not really for herself but ultimately to help Meridee. It’s handled well in the story.

Pavi’s relationship with her foster brother, Hamilton, is lovely. She trusts him, and he is eager to back her up in her work. He’s a nice contrast to Piper who bickers with Pavi because they both want Hamilton’s attention and time. Also, Pavi bristles at Piper’s seemingly perfect life and “first world problems” compared to what she feels she needs to do to protect Meridee.

The characters in this book are EVERYTHING. Don’t miss them. Be sure to check this one out.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Extraordinary Birds by Sandy Stark-McGinnis

REVIEW: Extraordinary Birds by Sandy Stark-McGinnis

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children’s Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

December is a walking, talking bird encyclopedia. She has memorized her copy of The Complete Guide to Birds, Vol. 1, one of the few personal items she takes from foster home to foster home. December believes that someday, she will transform into a bird herself. The scar on her back is the proof that one day she will have wings.

December’s belief often drives her into tall trees where she thinks she can launch herself into flight. And when she keeps trying, she’s sent to a new foster home and a new school.

Eleanor isn’t bad as foster parents go. She knows a lot about animals, and she’s good at giving December space to be the girl she is. And at school, December has the chance to befriend another student going through her own struggles. But December questions if any of these things – a new home, a new friend – can be counted on. Maybe she’d be better off if she just flew away.

Review

I have mixed feelings on this one. I wrestled through a good portion of the book trying to figure out if December’s bird/flying thing was the result of trauma or if it was psychosis. How much did she really believe she would fly? Also, I did not find it believable that the social service system would not be more alarmed about a child in care flinging herself out of trees. I think there would have been a much stronger reaction – maybe to the point of group home care or something more secure.

I liked Eleanor’s relationship with December. December noticed Eleanor’s effort to give her space, and ask her what she wanted. This relationship was my favorite part of the book. Even so, the story never fully connected with my heart. I didn’t click with December. And I realize because of her life experience she is protective and isolating and cautious. But usually with characters like that, there are other factors that allow me to connect emotionally. I didn’t find them in this case.

The other relationship I liked was December’s relationship with a transgender student at her new school, Cheryllynn. Cheryllynn was an advocate and support for December, and then December returned the favor. The issues with the mean girls weren’t resolved, nor did they escalate. They were just there – part of life. Maybe I needed more here, too.

For readers who like stories where characters overcome their past or wrestle through mental health or family issues, this might work. It wouldn’t be my first choice for kids looking for stories like that, but for kids who have worked through other examples, they might want to check out December’s story. Fans of animal books might enjoy the bird facts in this book.

Rating: ♥♥♥

REVIEW: In Another Life by C. C. Hunter

REVIEW: In Another Life by C. C. Hunter

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Chloe and her mom have moved to Joyful, Texas in the wake of her parent’s divorce. And she’s furious. Her dad cheated, her folks split, and then her mom got cancer. Thankfully, her mom is recovering. But it’s an awful thing for a kid to have to go through on her own. Now she’s just focused on getting through her senior year as the “new girl” and coaching her mom back toward health.

Cash is stunned when the gorgeous girl crashes into him at the gas station. But it’s less about the slushie he’s now wearing and more about the girl’s face. She looks exactly like the age progression picture of Emily.

Cash’ foster parents, the Fullers, lost their daughter Emily when she was almost three. She was kidnapped, and the Fullers – especially Mrs. Fuller – have never stopped hoping she’d be found. At first Cash is afraid Chloe might be there to scam the Fullers. But her adoption story seems to be legit. If Chloe really is Emily, what does that mean? Did her adoptive parents kidnap her? What will the Fullers expect of her? How will they feel about the growing attraction between Cash and Chloe/Emily?

Review

This was terrific! Lots of great emotion to this story. Chloe and Cash are fascinating characters – and they feel absolutely real. The author does an outstanding job building an emotionally intricate story that makes the questions about Chloe’s identity a nuanced and complicated situation.

Chloe and Cash made this book for me. They both feel “broken” – Cash, because of his history before foster care and Chloe because of the break up of her family and the difficulty of life with cancer. And they recognize that brokenness in one another and are drawn together. They see in each other someone who knows pain and isn’t afraid of it. They are lovely together.

The mystery/suspense story of Chloe’s identity was great. This drew me into the book at the start and was engaging all the way through. I think if the emphasis of the book was the mystery, the suspense in the end would have played out with different timing. A suspense story would probably end with a big, explosive moment. The way this wrapped up left me feeling like the REAL story is the relationships at stake in the book rather than the suspenseful part of the story. And the ending is 100% satisfying. If you enjoy Young Adult suspense, you should definitely check this one out! (Language, sexual content takes place mostly off the page)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Loser's Bracket by Chris Crutcher

REVIEW: Loser’s Bracket by Chris Crutcher

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Annie’s almost a senior in high school, but she’s experienced a lot in 17 years. She bounced from home to foster care multiple times before her mother’s rights were terminated. Annie knows her family is toxic, but she’s tied to them too tightly to turn her back on them. Her foster father would like nothing more than for Annie to cut all ties to her biological family once and for all. But she can’t bring herself to do it. Most of the times she sees her mother or her older sister, the meet up ends in disappointment for Annie. But they are still family.

When Annie’s biological family shows up for her last swim meet of the season, her mother picks a fight with Annie’s book club friends over a misunderstanding. In the ensuing chaos, Annie’s nephew disappears. Her family may be a hot mess, but they are her hot mess. Annie will do whatever it takes to find her nephew.

Review

The characters in this are outstanding! I loved Annie from the beginning. Even though her biological family is trapped in horrible cycles of abuse and drug use, Annie sees the dysfunctions and can keep some distance from them. After Annie, her foster brother, her best friend, and her book club are my other favorites from the story. In a different book, the book club would have made an excellent story all on their own, with each character telling his or her own story.

While Annie’s foster family is safer and more healthy than her biological family, it’s not perfect. And in the story we get to watch Annie negotiate the various dysfunctions and find her own path through them. The revelations she experiences as the foster family situation is more out in the open were fascinating.

I loved everything about this. I would read more stories with these characters in a hot minute. And the author’s style and insight really clicked for me. I’d read more of his work and will be checking out his other stories.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½

REVIEW: Wish by Barbara O’Connor

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

A sweet dog story! Charlie’s family feels “broken.” Her dad is in jail. Her mom rarely leaves her bed. Her big sister is living with a friend until she graduates from high school. And Charlie has to live with an aunt and uncle she hardly knows in a town where she doesn’t want to live. She clings desperately to the hope that she’ll be going home soon and to her long list of ways to make a wish. But she’s been wishing for the same thing for a long time. What if her wishes aren’t working?

Review

Charlie is the kind of kid you want to hug, but you know she’d hate it… At least at first. She’s used to protecting herself. And she has no interest in getting comfortable in her temporary home or in this temporary community. She’ll be going HOME soon.

I loved Charlie’s development over the course of the book. She has to find her way at school and at church and at her aunt and uncle’s house. She’s trying to manage the swirl of emotions inside her, including an impressive amount of anger. She’s learning who she wants to be socially, too. There’s a lot going on for Charlie – and it’s all told so well!

And then there’s a dog. A sweet-tempered, lovable, furry friend is just what Charlie needs to anchor her and give her a sense of belonging as well as a sense of being needed and loved.

This would be perfect for fans of animal stories, stories that have a strong emotional core, and for fans of Barbara O’Connor’s other books like How to Steal a Dog.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥