
A parent would reach for this book when their middle schooler is struggling with the quiet realization that their parents are separating, or when a long-standing friendship is being strained by a new person entering the group. It follows Stephanie, a young girl navigating the secret her parents are keeping about their 'trial separation' while she simultaneously manages the arrival of a new best friend, Alison, who threatens her established bond with Rachel. The book masterfully captures the anxiety of keeping family secrets and the jealousy that often bubbles up in preteen social circles. For ages 10 to 14, this is a quintessential Blume novel that validates the messy, overlapping feelings of wanting things to stay the same while everything is changing. It provides a roadmap for honesty and the importance of maintaining your own identity within a group.
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Sign in to write a reviewDepicts the emotional strain of a trial parental separation and family secrets.
The book handles divorce and parental separation in a very direct, secular, and realistic manner. It doesn't sugarcoat the child's resentment or the parents' mistakes. The resolution is realistic rather than perfectly happy: the parents remain separated, but the lines of communication improve.
A 12-year-old girl who feels like she is the only one whose life isn't 'perfect' and who is currently navigating the shift from a pair to a group in her social life.
Parents should be aware of a scene where the girls discuss menstruation and Stephanie's anxiety about her weight. It can be read cold but offers great openings for talks about body image. A parent might see their child withdrawing or becoming overly secretive about their friends, or perhaps noticing their child is 'food sneaking' as a coping mechanism for stress.
Younger readers (10) focus on the fun of the friendship club and the fear of parents fighting. Older readers (13-14) will resonate more with the nuanced social dynamics and the search for individual identity.
Unlike many 'divorce' books, this focuses equally on how family instability affects peer loyalty and the specific pressure of being the 'peacemaker' in a friend group.
Stephanie is entering seventh grade and has always been inseparable from her best friend, Rachel. When Alison moves into the neighborhood, the duo becomes a trio, sparking complex feelings of jealousy and competition. Simultaneously, Stephanie's father has moved into an apartment in the city for a 'trial separation.' Stephanie struggles with her changing body, her grades, and the burden of keeping her family's secret from her friends while trying to prove her loyalty to both Rachel and Alison.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.