Ronnie Hartman’s mom left her behind when she moved to Alaska with her boyfriend. She took her two brothers, but not her. So since then Ronnie’s been in several different foster homes. She’ll stay with a family for a while, but after she acts up, they return her. She’s never felt unconditional love. Now at thirteen, she’s living with a wonderful woman named Alison. She’s also making headway at school with the popular crowd. But some of the things she has to do to remain in the popular crowd are causing her to struggle with trying to be a better person. Can she turn her back on her only true friend? Then to make things worse, Ronnie gets a letter from her mom, and she must make the toughest decision of her life.I loved how I felt so connected to Ronnie that I completely understood when she made bad decisions. She was in a position where the decisions made sense to her. That’s great character development. The story was gut-wrenchingly realistic and sad. I enjoyed the story and felt I read a true snapshot of what it must be like for far too many kids in foster care. I’m constantly amazed at what parents will put their kids through. What’s so sad about this book is that the author has seen these kinds of experiences in her daily life as a social worker.
You won’t soon forget this one. And like me, you may feel like you need to make a case for adoption here. Not around the world, but right here, where so many kids need to be adopted and loved.
Here’s the author’s website.
