SuitabookSparrow
Sherri L. Smith
- Reading
- If bereavement or unstable family circumstances may be sensitive, read alongside your child and pause to discuss Kendall’s choices. The ending and the treatment of several difficulties are not clear here.
- Themes
- Family, identity and belonging: Kendall’s sense of identity has been strongly founded in family; after her grandmother’s death, she seeks an aunt and begins forming other relationships. The story appears to treat identity as something Kendall develops through experience and relationships, but its final judgement about family or belonging is not established.
- Resilience and fresh starts: Kendall meets Evie, Miss Clare and Marcus while trying to put her life in order; Mardi Gras is presented as a moment when a fresh start seems possible. The narrative gives attention to hope, friendship and rebuilding, but it is not clear whether it presents fresh starts as straightforward or complicated.
- Worth knowing
- The premise includes a grandmother’s death, child-services involvement, an uncertain home and lease, and characters with significant needs. Consider whether these themes might feel close to home for your reader.