Waiting for Normal
We&#x2019;ve seen this situation before: a parent neglects a child, while the child seeks a wider community to find support. Here that child is 12-year-old Addie,&#xA0;who lives&#xA0;with Mommers in a trailer on a busy street in Schenectady after her adored stepfather&#xA0;and half sisters move upstate. Mommers has lost custody of the &#x201C;littles&#x201D;&#xA0;because of neglect, and though she and Addie can laugh together, once&#xA0;Mommers hooks up with Pete, she is not much for good times&#x2014;though she brings the bad times home. Addie finds solace in occasional visits to her sisters and in her neighbors, especially&#xA0;Soula, ill from her chemotherapy treatments. Connor takes a familiar plot and elevates it with smartly written characters and unexpected moments. Addie starts out being a kid who thinks she has to go along to get along, but as Mommers&#x2019; actions become more egregious, her spine stiffens. And though&#xA0;Addie loves her time upstate, she is willing to forgo&#xA0;it when the normality she has there is more painful than positive.&#xA0;This is a&#xA0;meaningful story that will touch many. Grades 5-7. --Ilene Cooper--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.