About This Book
Reach for this book when your child is asking deep questions about where they come from or struggling with a sense of being different from their peers. It is particularly powerful for children in adoptive or foster families who are navigating the mystery of their own early histories. Joelle is a young girl who was found at a train station as a child and has since lived with a loving family, but she feels a haunting disconnect from her past. When a classmate points out her resemblance to a girl in an old painting of Narragansett Indians, it sparks a journey into local history and her own suppressed memories. The book deals with themes of ancestral identity and the courage required to look into the past. While it contains some eerie elements and historical tragedy, it is a grounded and deeply rewarding read for mature middle-schoolers (ages 10-14) that validates the importance of knowing one's roots.
