A middle-grade novel thoughtfully explores the realities of parents’ divorce

Twelve-year-old Justine’s parents are recently divorced. She and her little sister, Bea, go back and forth between their parents’ homes in Montreal. Their mother, whose anxiety manifests as the need to control, believes that their father and beloved half-sister are a bad influence on Justine and Bea. So, she enlists Justine in collecting evidence that would lead to getting sole custody.

Justine accepts her mother’s view of her father at first and begins writing detailed notes about his behavior: He doesn’t stick to Bea’s strict bedtime. He’s late dropping them off at school. He makes sandwiches with white bread. But when Justine crafts an outright lie for her mother’s court case, she starts to question her mother’s behavior, and her own.

This thoughtful, supportive look at parental alienation and its impact on children tenderly balances this difficult topic with moments of joy, love, and connection. Throughout the book, Justine’s clever, unique voice guides readers as she navigates complicated family dynamics and summons the courage to tell the truth, no matter the consequences.

MONIQUE POLAK écrit régulièrement pour le Montreal Gazette et a été publiée dans de nombreux autres quotidiens de renom tels que le Globe and Mail, le National Post et Newsday. Dans la collection SideStreets, elle a écrit All In et On the Game, ainsi que Flip Turn pour la collection Sports Stories. D’ailleurs, ces deux derniers ouvrages ont figuré sur la liste des meilleurs livres pour enfants du Centre du livre jeunesse canadien. Monique enseigne l’écriture ainsi que la littérature anglaise. Elle vit à Montréal, au Québec, avec son mari et sa fille.

MONIQUE POLAK is the author of 26 novels for young readers, as well as two non-fiction titles and a board book. Her books Hate Mail, Room for One More, and the historical novel What World is Left, which was inspired by her mother’s experience during the Holocaust, were all winners of the Quebec Writers’ Federation Prize for Children’s and YA Literature.

Her books have also been nominated for the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and the Arthur Ellis Award, and several have been selected as Best Books for Children and Teens by the Canadian Children’s Book Centre.

She is also a freelance journalist whose work has appeared in The Globe and Mail, Macleans, and Postmedia newspapers across the country, and is a columnist on ICI Radio-Canada’s Plus on est de fous, plus on lit Monique lives in Montreal, Quebec, where she teaches English and Humanities at Marianopolis College.

Monique Polak's profile page

• Nominated, Diamond Willow Award
• Commended, Best Books for Kids and Teens

"Thoughtfully and honestly explores the realities of divorce, anxiety, and how kids are impacted by parental behavior. Justine’s voice will grab readers as she navigates changing family situations and the importance of sharing the truth ... Children with divorced parents will see themselves reflected in ­Justine’s nuanced story."

School Library Journal

"Polak offers carefully nonjudgmental portraits of both parents as flawed in different ways (and profoundly incompatible) but loving ... Sad—but frank, supportive, and properly free of easy answers."

Kirkus Reviews

"Polak spells out Justine’s emotional journey, which will also resonate with readers sensitive to the weighty subject of parental alienation, expounded on in an author’s note and resources ... an especially good selection for children navigating family dissolutions."

Booklist

"Children who are going through this same situation, or have gone through it in the past, will appreciate the realistic look at parental alienation syndrome as well as the hopeful ending ... A good choice."

School Library Connection