Families who loved How I Saved My Father's Life (and Ruined Everything Else) by Ann Hood often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Reach for this book when your child is grappling with a 'magical thinking' sense of responsibility for a parent's safety or the stability of their home. Set against the backdrop of the late 1960s, the story follows twelve year old Madeline as she navigates her parents' divorce and a sudden move. After her father survives a plane crash she believes she prevented through prayer, she becomes obsessed with finding more miracles to keep her world from falling apart. It is a deeply resonant choice for children who feel they must be 'perfect' or perform specific rituals to ensure their family's happiness. This middle grade novel offers a gentle, realistic exploration of faith, the loss of childhood innocence, and the eventual realization that we cannot control the adults around us.
