About This Book
A parent would reach for this book when their teenager is struggling to find their voice or feels like an outsider within their own family. M. V. Sexton is a sixteen-year-old girl who has grown up under the quiet, somewhat repressive care of her aunt and uncle after her parents' death. As she takes on a summer job at a local bakery, she begins to peel back the layers of her family's silence while navigating her first romantic interests and the complexities of adult friendships. It is a thoughtful exploration of how we balance our need for individuality with the desire to belong. This story is particularly appropriate for the 12 to 16 age range as it models the slow, sometimes awkward process of self-discovery and the courage required to ask hard questions about one's past. Parents will appreciate how it validates the feeling of being a 'misfit' while offering a hopeful path toward emotional maturity and independence.
