First published 2023
Laura Rodríguez Colón stares at her single bag of belongings in Titi Silvia's spare room. Social services placed her with her aunt, but Laura refuses to accept this arrangement. She has a plan to return to her parents, no matter what the adults decide. School brings the usual challenges of being the new kid. Living with her aunt feels okay, but it isn't home. Then Laura discovers a lost puppy. The timing feels like more than coincidence. She decides to train the dog as a therapy animal. If she succeeds, maybe she can bring the dog to visit her parents. Maybe the dog will help her parents heal. Maybe everything can return to normal. Laura struggles to explain her situation to classmates. How do you tell people you're technically in foster care when you live with family? How do you make them understand that you don't belong here? The puppy becomes her focus and her hope. Through training sessions and small victories, Laura holds onto her dream of going home.
Genres: family-life, contemporary, young-adult, foster-children, realistic-fiction
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Titi Silvia's Spare Room
Paperback · Welbeck Children's Books