
Reach for this book when your child is facing a major life transition, such as moving to a new neighborhood or adjusting to a parent's remarriage, and seems to be masking their anxiety with humor or creative withdrawal. Twelve-year-old Addy McMahon feels like her life is under a 'curse' as her mom prepares to marry a man she barely likes and they move away from her best friend. Through a blend of traditional prose and Addy's own cartoon drawings, the story captures the messy, non-linear process of accepting change. This hybrid novel is perfect for middle schoolers who feel like their world is being rewritten without their consent. It validates the frustration of being a child in a changing family dynamic while providing a hopeful roadmap for finding agency through art and storytelling. Parents will appreciate how it models healthy emotional processing without being overly sentimental or preachy.
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Sign in to write a reviewAddy sometimes acts out or is unkind to her future stepfather while processing her anger.
The book deals with divorce and remarriage in a very direct, secular manner. It focuses on the child's loss of autonomy during these transitions. The resolution is realistic, Addy doesn't suddenly love her stepfather, but she accepts him as a permanent, non-threatening fixture in her life.
A 10 to 12 year old who expresses themselves through doodles or journaling and feels 'stuck' in a situation they can't control, particularly regarding a new step-parent.
Read cold. The book is very accessible. Parents might want to look at the 'Book of the Dead' concept to ensure they understand it as a creative outlet rather than something morbid. A parent might see their child becoming unusually cynical about family outings or using sarcasm as a shield against the 'new' family unit.
Younger readers (8-9) will enjoy the funny drawings and school-day mishaps. Older readers (11-12) will deeply identify with the loss of control and the specific social anxieties of changing schools during puberty.
Unlike many 'moving' books, this one uses the protagonist's own art as a narrative device that actually advances the plot and provides psychological insight, similar to Diary of a Wimpy Kid but with significantly more emotional depth and a female-centric perspective.
Addy McMahon is a young artist and writer who believes she is living under a curse. Her mother is getting remarried to a man named Simon, which necessitates a move to a new town and leaving behind her best friend, Eliot. Addy uses her 'Book of the Dead' (a sketchbook) to process her grief and anger, personifying her problems through cartoons. The story follows her attempts to sabotage the move, her struggle to fit into a new school, and her eventual realization that change isn't always a catastrophe.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.