Dogtag Summer

Reach for this book when your child is beginning to ask deeper questions about their origins, especially if your family is touched by adoption or a complicated military history. It is a powerful tool for middle schoolers grappling with the feeling of being an outsider or those trying to reconcile different parts of their identity. The story follows Tracy, a Vietnamese American girl, as she uncovers her father's hidden mementos from the Vietnam War. This discovery forces her to confront her own past as a war orphan and her father's ongoing struggle with what we now recognize as PTSD. It is a sensitive, realistic exploration of how families heal together, perfect for ages 10 to 14. Parents will appreciate how it models open communication and the messy, honest process of building a family unit through shared truth.