280 pages; 750LSummary: Twelve-year-old Sarah writes letters to her hero, To Kill a Mockingbird's Atticus Finch, for help understanding her mentally ill mother, her first real crush, and life in her small Texas town, all in the course of one momentous summer.Comments: Interesting to have the main character write personal letters to a book character. For younger kids, though, they might not yet know who Atticus Finch is. The story touched on many topics including mental illness, alcoholism, friendship, divorce, to only name a few. The writing took me into the story and made me feel for Sarah. I took me back into my own childhood and life, and got me thinking about issues that I’ve faced as well. I would recommend this book to kids interested in angst filled stories and those who are going through tough family issues.Reviewed By: Sarah Sarah Nelson is 12 and her past still haunts her from 10 years ago, forcing her and her alcoholic father to skip town every year or so to avoid nosy people. When Sarah was 2, her mother drowned her and her twin brother, Simon, in the sink. She survived and Simon did not. Sarah's mother was sent to an institution following her trial. Sarah lives with her dad in a crappy, small-town rental and tries to avoid being recognized as "that girl." Now in Garland Texas, she has finally convinced her dad to not make her go to her grandparents for summer break. She gets to stay home and hang out with Charlotte, a college girl, and her brother Finn, who both live across the street. She has a crush on Finn, who shares her affinity for words, even the trouble ones, as he is a first year linguistics major. Her best and only friend Lisa is away for the summer at camp, and their pact for the summer is to French kiss a boy. Her favorite teacher gave everyone a notebook at the end of the year and asked them to write letters to their favorite book characters or even a real person. Sarah writes to Atticus Finch. While Sarah is trying to enjoy doing nothing, finding the perfect boy and dreading the days until the 7th Grade Family Tree Project starts in the fall, a newscast reveals her secret once again and Sarah and her father have to deal with the blow again.This is a sweet story about a girl who learns to speak for herself, finds out what she wants, and puts her plans into action. The different relationships in the book are what really draws readers in. I am also a big fan of the dictionary definitions for her "trouble" words and the deeper meaning behind all of it. I think this book takes two difficult ideas: (1) your mother trying to kill you and then being locked up your whole life, and (2) your father being an active alcoholic... and works them seamlessly and innocently into the text. You are aware and concerned for what's going on, but it is not like a blunt force trauma. And Sarah learns to deal with everything with her burgeoning maturity. Given this, Sarah is still realistically a 12 year old girl. Well done.character based - realistic/contemporary fiction - alcoholism - absent mother - crushes - healthy/unhealthy relationship education - types of grief - parental relationships - bullying - self reflection
