Eleven year old Cass got all As and one B on her report card but her parents only see the B. "What happened in science?" her father asks. That's how it is for Cass now. Her parents seem to notice her occasionally and they've stopped knowing she's in the family on a daily basis.
She probably wouldn't be so sensitive about it if he had paid any attention to anything about her life for the past year or so. But he hasn't and neither has her mom. Ever since her seventeen year old sister, Julia, got pregnant and had a baby, Addie, Cass' parents have one focus in the world and that focus is Julia.
Cass has missed three swim meets. Her best friends, Piper and Liana, are barely allowed to speak to her anymore in case teenage pregnancy is contagious. Cass is starting to feel invisible.
What can she do to get herself back, her parents back, her friends back and to get reconnected with her own sister? The answer seems to come in the form of a road trip. Julia comes to Cass and asks her how much money she could borrow from her. Cass is stunned. What does Julia need money for. Alone, she searches her room and finds a total of $700 in all her little hiding spots.
Julia packs up the car and on a whim, invites Cass to come along. Turns out this isn't a day trip. It isn't even an overnighter. This is a full blown road trip with two sisters remembering what they've had together, who they are, and find their way back to themselves and each other.
We always read about the teenage pregnancy from the point of view of the mother-to-be. Rare is the book that shines the light on the younger sister in the family and walks us down the road of what her life becomes when her sister stumbles. Much-needed and a heart-to-heart talk to anyone who is dealing with parents who have gone missing.
197 pages 978-1524771799 Ages 10-14
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
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From the author of Eight Keys comes a loving story of sisters who are trying to find their way back to each other.
Julia used to be the perfect big sister: she played great games and took good care of Cassie. Now life at home revolves around Julia and her daughter, Addie. No one pays much attention to Cassie: not to her competitive swim meets, and not to what's gone wrong with her friends.
When Julia confides in Cassie that she'll be leaving with Addie--without telling their parents--Cassie jumps in the car, too. As the days of lumberjack breakfasts and hotel pools start to add up, Cassie has to wonder: Could the sister who seems to be the source of all her problems also be the friend she's missed the most?--from the publisher
