A parent should reach for this book when their child is grappling with big, overwhelming feelings or navigating a difficult family situation, especially one involving foster care or parental absence. The story follows Red, an eleven-year-old girl who has been in foster care for years while her mother is in prison. Red has a secret: her turbulent emotions can control the wind. When she is placed with the gentle Groove family on their farm of miniature therapy horses, she must learn to trust, manage her powerful feelings, and redefine her idea of home. For ages 9 to 12, this book tackles mature themes like parental incarceration and addiction with immense sensitivity and care. The touch of magical realism provides a powerful metaphor for a child's internal storms, making complex emotions accessible. It is a deeply moving and hopeful story that provides representation for children in foster care and opens up conversations about found family, forgiveness, and resilience.
A tense scene involves a tornado, which is connected to the protagonist's emotional state.
Sensitive Topics
The book directly addresses parental incarceration and substance addiction (opioids) as the reasons for Red's presence in the foster system. The approach is secular and focuses entirely on the child's emotional experience: her confusion, loyalty, anger, and love. The memories of her mother's struggles are poignant but not graphic. The resolution is both realistic and deeply hopeful, affirming that a child can build a new, loving family while still holding love for their biological parent.
Ideal Reader
A child aged 10-12 who is personally navigating the foster care system, has an incarcerated parent, or is impacted by a family member's addiction. It is also an excellent read for empathetic children who feel their own emotions are 'too big' to handle, or for kids seeking to understand different family structures.
Parent Prep
Parents should be prepared for conversations about foster care, addiction, and prison. The book handles these topics gently, but they are central to the plot. No specific pages need to be previewed, but the book is best read when a parent is available to discuss the complex feelings Red has about her mother. A parent hears their child express feelings of being different, out of control, or misunderstood. The child might be asking questions about why a friend is in foster care or why a relative is in jail or rehab. The child may feel isolated by their own intense emotions.
Age Experience
Younger readers (9-10) will connect strongly with the magical wind, the charming miniature horses, and the core story of finding a family. Older readers (11-12) will better appreciate the nuanced emotional layers: Red's complicated loyalty to her mother, the systemic challenges of foster care, and the powerful metaphor of the wind for regulating trauma-related emotions.
What Makes It Special
The use of magical realism is the key differentiator. The wind is not just a fantasy element; it is a brilliant and accessible metaphor for the overwhelming power of a child's emotions, especially those rooted in trauma. This externalization of an internal struggle makes a heavy subject approachable and unique among contemporary middle-grade novels about foster care.
Read plot summary
Ruby "Red" O'Malley is an eleven-year-old in the foster care system whose powerful emotions manifest as control over the wind. Her mother is incarcerated due to opioid addiction, leaving Red feeling abandoned and untrusting. Her latest placement is with the Groove family, Celine and Jackson, on their farm that raises miniature therapy horses. Red is fiercely loyal to her mother and resistant to her new home, but she slowly bonds with a gentle horse named Tuck and begins to feel the pull of a stable, loving family. The story follows Red's journey of learning to trust others, manage her emotional storms, and understand that she can love her mother while also accepting a new forever family.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.
Discussion Prompts
1
Red calls her ability to control the wind her 'impossibles.' Why do you think she uses this word? What does it say about how she feels about her own emotions?
2
Red feels very loyal to her mother, even though her mother's choices have hurt her. How does her relationship with Celine and Jackson help her understand that love can be complicated and you can care for more than one family?
3
The miniature horse Tuck is a 'therapy horse.' How does Tuck provide therapy for Red without ever saying a word? Why are animals often so comforting to people?
4
At the end, Red says, 'I was a force of nature. I was a goddamn miracle.' What does she mean by this? How has her view of herself and her 'impossibles' changed from the beginning of the book?
