
Reach for this book when your child starts noticing that the rules of the world seem to apply differently to them than to their best friend. Whether it is why one house has more food or why one child gets the benefit of the doubt while the other is watched with suspicion, this story provides a gentle but honest framework for discussing class and race. Set in a 1980s fishing town, it follows Mia, an Indigenous girl, as she navigates her changing friendship with her more affluent friend Lara. It is a deeply relatable choice for middle schoolers facing the confusing shift from childhood play to social hierarchy. Parents will appreciate the nuance Spencer brings to heavy topics like systemic inequality and identity without losing the heart of a coming of age story. It is a quiet, powerful tool for building empathy and self-reflection in children aged 9 to 12.
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Sign in to write a reviewThemes of economic hardship, feeling like an outsider, and friendship drifting apart.
Brief mentions of adult alcohol use in the community and family context.
The book addresses systemic racism and poverty directly but through the lens of a child's everyday observations. It touches on alcoholism and family instability in a secular, matter-of-fact way. The resolution is realistic and bittersweet: it does not offer a magical fix for inequality but provides Mia with a stronger sense of self.
A 10 or 11-year-old who has recently felt the sting of an unfair social situation or who is starting to notice that their friends' home lives are vastly different from their own.
Read the chapter about the department store incident. It provides a stark look at racial profiling that may require a follow-up conversation about why the store clerk treated the girls differently. A parent might hear their child say something like: 'Why does Lara always get the lead role?' or 'Is it because we don't have as much money as them?'
Younger readers (age 9) will focus on the friendship drama and the 1980s setting. Older readers (age 12) will better grasp the systemic critiques regarding First Nations identity and economic disparity.
Unlike many books on racism that focus on historical trauma, this uses small, domestic moments (the 'weird rules') to show how systemic bias functions in the mundane details of a child's life.
Mia and Lara are inseparable friends growing up in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. As they enter middle school, the social and economic gaps between Mia (who is Indigenous) and Lara (who is of Hungarian and Mexican descent and more affluent) become impossible to ignore. The story is told through episodic chapters that highlight the subtle and overt ways race and class dictate their opportunities and how they are perceived by adults.
This overview was generated by AI based on the book's content and reviews, and may not capture every nuance.