About This Book
When a child is struggling to cope with the upheaval of parental separation, this book offers a gentle and relatable story. Twelve-year-old Alice's world is turned upside down when her dad moves out. She retreats to a tent in the backyard, vowing to stay until he returns, while also focusing intensely on her summer swim team goals. This quiet, character-driven novel explores heavy themes like divorce and parental depression with great sensitivity. It shows how unexpected friendships and finding your own strength can help you navigate life's biggest changes. For ages 9-13, it's a comforting read that normalizes difficult feelings and models resilience without offering easy answers.
What Parents Should Know
Sensitive Topics
The book deals directly with parental separation and parental mental illness (depression). The approach is secular and seen entirely through Alice's perspective. She experiences her mother's depression as lethargy, sadness, and an inability to parent effectively. The resolution is realistic and hopeful: the parents do not reconcile, but Alice accepts the new family structure and her mother begins seeking help. Piper's selective mutism is also a direct topic, handled with gentleness and curiosity.
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