It’s been a hard year for Maisie Cannon, ever since she hurt her leg and could not keep up with her ballet training and auditions. Her blended family is loving and supportive, but Maisie knows that they just can’t understand how hopeless she feels. With everything she’s dealing with, Maisie is not excited for their family midwinter road trip along the coast, near the Makah community where her mother grew up.
But soon, Maisie’s anxieties and dark moods start to hurt as much as the pain in her knee. How can she keep pretending to be strong when on the inside she feels as roiling and cold as the ocean? In this evocative and heartwarming novel for readers who loved The Thing About Jellyfish, the author of I Can Make This Promise tells the story of a Native American girl struggling to find her joy again.
"Around a family road trip to the Olympic Peninsula, though, Maisie learns how her Makah ancestors brought 'their community together, despite horrible events,' and how her mother healed after her father’s sudden death. Slowly, she also takes her own steps toward healing — forgiving a friend, learning to rely on family, and talking about her feelings of loss. Day, who is Upper Skagit, creates tension in this quiet novel by gradually unspooling the backstory of Maisie’s injury and her father’s death in Afghanistan. It’s a contemplative and emotional story of resilience and reinvention whose dedication sums it up well: 'To anyone who needs a reminder that pain is temporary.'" — Publishers Weekly
Recommended Age | 9 - 12 |
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Author | Christine Day |
ISBN | 0062872044 |
Publication Date | Jan 5, 2021 |
Publisher | Heartdrum |
Language | English |