THE HOUSE ON SUNRISE LAGOON

Where do you fit when you’re watching from the sidelines?

Continuing the lives of the Ali-O’Connor family, this third series installment focuses on the eldest sibling, 12-year-old Harbor, who presents white. This summer, a friend of her dad’s invites her to join the elite girls’ basketball team she coaches, an important step for Harbor if she wants to stay serious about the sport. Instead of her usual two weekends a month, Harbor would therefore stay with her dad every weekend. The arrangement seems like a great deal to Harbor, who’s been finding her moms’ crowded house of seven people (plus a dog) even more stifling than usual. At the same time, Harbor’s dealing with a recent growth spurt, her suddenly strained relationship with her best friend, and not starting on the elite team, plus some unexpected new feelings of attraction. Maybe she should make the move to her dad’s place permanent? Melleby’s series continues to explore strong themes of discovering one’s place within the family, this time through Harbor’s unique position of being the only sibling who has a known father in her life and who is a child of divorce (two of her siblings are adopted, and two have a sperm donor). The story contains many potential points of identification for young readers as Melleby explores the journey of a preteen who’s dealing with emotional struggles through skillfully drawn, loving characters and a seamless plot.

Candid and uplifting.