After the death of her mother, seventh-grader Serena finds herself facing the day-to-day challenges of caring for herself and her younger brother, Henry, all while attempting to lead a normal pre-teen life.
Seventh-grader Serena Shaw is trying to keep up at school while rehearsing for the lead role in the spring musical and dealing with a father so "blue”, he is nearly catatonic. With the aid of a not-so-secret admirer, as well as a growing sense of self-confidence, she faces the challenges of caring for herself and her ball-of-charm younger brother-all while attempting to lead the life of a normal pre-teen.
Readers will be drawn into this convincing portrait of a vivacious young person who is on a path to discovering that taking on responsibility sometimes means finding the best way to ask for help.
"Jones has done a magnificent job of describing someone who is clinically depressed."
School Library Journal
"Jones creates a convincing character in Serena…Readers will be immediately sympathetic to Serena's plight and draw a sigh of relief when she finally gets the help she needs."
BCCB
"Serena's courage, perseverance, and hesitant relationships with friends, with Henry, and with new boyfriend Elijah make her a compelling character."
