Katie lives in Vermont Center, a small town where everyone knows everyone else's business. She walks the familiar streets past the general store and white church steeple, but lately everything feels different. The adults around her seem to carry secrets she doesn't understand yet. Her best friend Sarah acts like she's outgrown their old games. Even her own house feels strange, as if she's seeing it through new eyes. Katie tries to hold onto the comfort of routine while sensing that change is coming whether she wants it or not. She discovers that growing up means learning to see her home and family in ways that are both more complicated and more loving than she ever imagined. This is a story about the bittersweet moment when childhood's certainties give way to a deeper understanding of what home really means.
Genres: family-life, coming-of-age, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, found-family
Setting: Vermont Center
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
Paperback · Greenwillow Books