Synopses & Reviews
The reassuring book kids and families need right now.
At a time when everything is changing for Bea and her family, the important things will always stay the same. A soon-to-be classic by the Newbery Award-winning author of When You Reach Me.
After her parents' divorce, Bea's life became different in many ways. But she can always look back at the list she keeps in her green notebook to remember the things that will stay the same. The first and most important: Mom and Dad will always love Bea, and each other.
When Dad tells Bea that he and his boyfriend, Jesse, are getting married, Bea is thrilled. Bea loves Jesse, and when he and Dad get married, she'll finally (finally!) have what she's always wanted — a sister. Even though she's never met Jesse's daughter, Sonia, Bea is sure that they'll be just like sisters anywhere.
As the wedding day approaches, Bea will learn that making a new family brings questions, surprises, and joy, and readers will discover why the New York Times called Rebecca Stead a writer of great feeling.
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“A dazzling middle grade novel from Newbery Medalist Rebecca Stead.” BookPage (Starred Review)
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"Stead masterfully explores the internal life of a girl going through both extraordinary and run-of-the-mill trials in a way that tells readers they are not alone in their complicated, contradictory feelings about the world." Shelf Awareness (Starred Review)
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"Ultimately, Bea survives, thrives, and grows as love remains constant but her world gets bigger, and readers negotiating their own changing lives will relate to her challenge and applaud her triumph." The Bulletin (Starred Review)
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"The strength of this novel lies in Stead's authentic, respectful, low-key approach to the emotional life of a ten-year-old as recalled from the perspective of her slightly older self." The Horn Book (Starred Review)
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"The angst and worries that middle grade readers experience are brought to life through Bea's authentic voice in this must-read title." School Library Journal (Starred Review)
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" An affecting story of significant middle grade change." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
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"An emotional character journey from a middle-grade master.” Booklist (Starred Review)
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"Uplifting without sentimentality, timely not trendy, and utterly engaging." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
About the Author
Rebecca Stead is the author of When You Reach Me, which was a New York Times bestseller and winner of the Newbery Medal and the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction, and Liar & Spy, which was also a New York Times bestseller, won The Guardian Prize for Children's Fiction, and was on multiple state master lists and best of the year lists. Her most recent book , Goodbye Stranger, was a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book for Fiction and a New York Times bestseller. She is also the author of First Light, which was nominated for many state awards. She lives in New York City with her family. Visit her online at rebeccasteadbooks.com and on Twitter @rebstead.