Keeping the Night Watch

Reach for this book when your child is struggling with deep-seated resentment or the confusing emotional fallout of a parent's return after a long absence. This verse novel follows 14-year-old C.J. as his father, who walked out on the family years ago, suddenly reappears and attempts to reintegrate into their lives. It captures the raw, honest friction between a teenager's desire for a stable family and the protective anger that comes from being abandoned. Writing in a sophisticated yet accessible poetic style, Virginia Euwer Wolff provides a mirror for children in single-parent or reconciling households. It is an essential read for middle schoolers navigating the transition from childhood idealism to the complex reality of adult flaws and the difficult process of earned forgiveness.