
A parent would reach for this book when their child is navigating the messy transition of a blended family or feeling like an outsider in their own home. Leah Baer has spent years being bounced between parents, but her latest move to her father's house and his new wife feels particularly permanent and isolating. It is a quiet, thoughtful story about a girl trying to figure out where she fits when the definition of home keeps shifting. Nora Raleigh Baskin captures the specific ache of being a guest in your own living room with deep empathy and realism. This story is perfect for middle grade readers (ages 8 to 12) who are sensitive to family dynamics and are looking for a character who understands the complexity of loving parents who do not live together. It offers comfort by showing that while you cannot control your family structure, you can find your own voice and a sense of belonging through friendship and creative expression.
Your experience helps other parents find the right book.
Sign in to write a reviewThe book deals directly with divorce, the instability of shared custody, and the emotional neglect that can happen when parents are preoccupied with their own lives. The approach is secular and highly realistic. While there is no traumatic event, the persistent low-level stress of Leah's life is palpable. The resolution is hopeful but grounded: Leah doesn't get a perfect family, but she gains the tools to navigate the one she has.
A 10 or 11-year-old child who is the 'quiet' one in a blended family. This is for the kid who doesn't cause trouble but is secretly struggling with the logistics and emotional labor of moving between households.
This book can be read cold. Parents should be prepared for Leah's internal monologue about feeling unwanted by her mother, which may lead to difficult questions about why parents make the choices they do. A parent might see their child withdrawing or acting overly polite, as if they are afraid to make a mess or take up space in their own home.
Younger readers will focus on the friendship with Will and the fun of the acting plotline. Older readers will resonate with the nuanced depiction of parental disappointment and the search for identity.
Unlike many 'divorce books' that focus on the initial split, this one focuses on the long-tail effects of years of instability and the specific feeling of being 'almost home' but never quite there.
Leah Baer is twelve years old and has experienced a childhood defined by transition. After years of being shuffled between her mother and father, she is now living semi-permanently with her father and his new wife. Leah feels like a ghost in their suburban life, struggling to find her place at a new school and within a family unit that seems to function perfectly without her. Her perspective begins to shift when she meets Will, an eccentric boy who doesn't care about fitting in. Through their friendship and an exploration of acting and drama, Leah learns to process her feelings of displacement and begins to build a bridge toward her father and stepmother.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.