THE THINGS WE MISS

A Southern California tween finds a way to skip ahead in time, sparing herself discomfort but also costing her valuable moments.

J.P. sometimes seeks solace in her neighbor’s treehouse, and one day when she’s there, she notices a gold doorknob in the wall where there wasn’t one before. After she turns it, a door opens, and she passes through, finding herself instantly transported three days into the future. She has no memory of what happened during the time she missed. Seventh grade isn’t easy: J.P. has run-ins with mean girl Miranda, who shames her for her body size. Her beloved Pop Pop’s cancer has come back. It’s tempting to use the treehouse door to escape, and she even gets Kevin involved in brainstorming variables to see if they can manipulate the time skips. Although Stecher never explains the magic involved, by walking through the door, J.P. can avoid memories of unpleasant experiences and feelings, but in the process, she also doesn’t remember precious time spent with Pop Pop and Kevin. Debut author Stecher’s characters feel natural, lovable, and whole; the tensions that arise between J.P. and her mom and J.P. and Kevin are believable and relatable. Readers will come away understanding the hard-won lesson that life is best experienced in its entirety. J.P. and her family are Jewish and cued white; Kevin is Japanese American and gay.

A powerful story about the joy and pain of growing up.