365 Days to Alaska

Reach for this book when your child feels like an outsider or is struggling to adapt to a major life change, such as a move from a rural area to the suburbs. It specifically addresses the 'fish out of water' feeling that comes when a child's previous identity no longer seems to fit their new environment. Rigby Harman has spent her whole life in the Alaskan wilderness, but when her parents divorce, she is thrust into a middle school world of fashion, social cliques, and paved roads. As she counts down the days until she can return to her father in Alaska, she must navigate the complex emotions of family separation and the search for belonging. This is a gentle, realistic story that validates the difficulty of letting go of the past while finding a way to bloom where you are planted. It is highly appropriate for ages 8 to 12.