About This Book
A parent might reach for this book when their middle schooler is feeling deep shame or embarrassment about their family's circumstances, whether due to financial struggles, a relative's mental illness, or simply feeling different. Edgewater follows Lorrie, who lives in a crumbling mansion with her reclusive, hoarding aunt. She desperately tries to hide her reality from her peers, especially a new, wealthy friend named Charlie. But as she uncovers a mystery connecting their two families, she learns that even the most perfect-seeming lives have dark secrets. This gripping mystery for ages 11-14 is an excellent choice for normalizing complex feelings about family and social pressure, showing that everyone has a story and that truth is more powerful than shame.
