A family mythos spun with thread as fragile as tears can tangle into knots. Sometimes the threads break.
Miranda’s grandparents on her mother’s side have always been a secret, one of the many mysteries that lie between her and her beautiful yet elusive mother. The summer before eighth grade, Miranda is mired in a web of fears and anxiety. The fabric connecting her and her mother feels threadbare. Her mother, a freelance photographer who travels the world, always appears so fearless. But she is distant, and Miranda is desperate to uncover what she must’ve done to make her mother always choose to leave her. When a great career opportunity arises for her mom to go to Argentina while her lawyer dad is preparing a big case, Miranda gets the chance to visit August Isle and stay with one of her mom’s old friends who has a daughter her age. Why has mom never visited the place where she grew up? Finally, she might be able to answer her questions. The result is a beautifully written story, lush as a Florida mangrove. Standish introduces young readers to a concept that’s foreign to many at their age: that grown-ups can suffer deep emotional pain same as young people. Miranda is white, and the book adheres to the white default; her mom’s friend’s husband is Indian, and their children are biracial and brown-skinned.
An emotional journey of family, friendship, loss, and healing
. (Fiction. 10-14)