SuitabookA friend at midnight
Caroline B. Cooney
- Reading
- Talk before or during reading about family change, responsibility and faith. Afterwards, distinguish Lily’s actions from the adult choices around her; the ending and consequences remain unclear.
- Themes
- Family responsibility: Lily is caring for a baby stepbrother when Michael calls after being abandoned, and she decides to rescue him. The situation foregrounds difficult responsibilities, but it is unclear how the story judges the adults’ choices or Lily’s response.
- Anger, bitterness and faith: Lily’s faith in God is tested as she deals with the rescue and the bitterness and anger she feels. The book appears to take Lily’s inner and spiritual conflict seriously, but its eventual view of faith or emotional resolution is unknown.
- Worth knowing
- The family circumstances and airport abandonment could feel upsetting, particularly alongside Lily’s stated anger and spiritual struggle. Consider pausing to check how the situation is landing emotionally.