Thank you Netgalley and Little Brown Young Readers for the gifted book that I read along with the library audio.
written by: Dusti Bowling
narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez rating: really liked
Jolene is 12, her mom has a narcotics addiction, and her only friend is another 12 year old (Addie) who she watches fly her ultralight plane over the desert via livestream at the library. When Addie crashes her plane while Jolene is the only person viewing the livestream, Jolene is desperate to find help for Addie no matter what rules she has to break to do so.
I have very mixed feelings about this book. As someone who is just reading the story, I thought it was engaging and dealt with some hard topics (grief, independence, parental addiction) quite well. Middle grade girls will love the emphasis on strong women role models and the examples of the women in history who inspire Jolene.
On the other hand, as an adult and soon to be parent, I struggled with the decisions of the protagonists to do wildly dangerous things without adult supervision or even permission. I did not like that message that Jolene embodied that no one could help her and she had to do it all on her own. There is always an adult that can help and running away on your own accord is not the best answer. Jolene doesn't make great decisions and her plans only work out through the intervention of others and dumb luck. Not a great example.
Overall I thought this was a great book, but one that I would encourage adults to read alongside their middle grade kids or students so they can discuss the decision making of all the main characters.
Content Warning: discussion of opioid addiction as well as injuries from the plane crash.
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