Here's How I See It--Here's How It Is

A parent might reach for this book when their child is shouldering heavy family responsibilities or feeling the stress of financial instability and a parent's illness. The story follows 13-year-old Junebug, a fiercely resourceful girl living in rural Kentucky. With her mother an agoraphobic recluse and her father unemployed, Junebug takes it upon herself to save her family by entering a playwriting contest. This poignant novel directly addresses the emotional weight of poverty and parental mental illness from a child's perspective, exploring themes of resilience, premature responsibility, and fierce family love. For tweens aged 10-14, it provides a mirror for those in similar situations and a window for others, fostering empathy and normalizing complex feelings of worry and hope.