About This Book
Parents should reach for this book when a middle-schooler is struggling to process the sudden loss of a parent or is retreating into silence following a family tragedy. While it centers on 13-year-old Grace and her sister's plan to train a service dog, the core of the story is about the messy, uneven nature of grief. It captures the specific pain of losing a parent who was also a community hero (a police officer) and how that public mourning can complicate a child's private healing. This is a realistic, secular look at resilience for ages 10 to 14, highlighting how caring for something outside of oneself can provide a necessary anchor when life feels unmoored.
