With her parents newly separated and her mother emotionally unstable, twelve-year-old Alice decides to live in a tent in the backyard. She makes a new friend (who is socially awkward and also a swimmer like Alice) and gains a babysitting charge--next-door neighbor Piper, who doesn't speak. Diehl's thought-provoking story about complex family and friendship dynamics features a unique and memorable cast of characters.

The summer she turns 13, Alice struggles to hold on to the family life that has been slipping away since her mother's major car accident a year ago.At the request of her mother, who has been in bed and depressed since her accident, Alice's father is moving out, and her twin brothers are going to stay with their aunt. If she can't keep her family together, Alice hopes she can at least reach her swim team goals; she practices twice daily and has numerous competitions. The night Alice stays out late to avoid watching her father leave, she saves Piper, a young girl who just moved in next door, from being hit by a car. Alice soon realizes that something is wrong: Piper doesn't speak, doesn't seem to hear, and doesn't seem to express emotion as expected. Alice is hired as a mother's helper for the family, and one night she hears Piper utter a word. Telling Piper's parents about it upsets them, and Alice becomes determined to prove to everyone that she did not make this up. Diehl, a debut author, has a lovely writing style and wastes no time getting readers on Alice's side. While this is not a fast-paced novel and at times even feels meandering, its exploration of relationships—among family, friends both old and new, and crushes—and responsibility are worth diving into. While some minor characters have names of diverse origins, the main characters are not described in terms of ethnicity or race, implying a white default.A quiet story with a likable protagonist. (Fiction. 10-14)

It's the summer before eighth grade and almost-13-year-old Alice is moving into a tent in her backyard, figuring it might be the only way to get her dad to return. Nothing's been right since her mom's accident, but at least she has swimming and a new friendship with Harriet, who's convinced Alice can secure a spot on the swim team record board. But another goal emerges midway through the summer when Alice's new babysitting charge, Piper, who's been mute for years, suddenly speaks just to her. Can she prove that it really happened d help Piper find her voice? Lush, layered, and languidly paced, Diehl's debut is frank in its depiction of a family mired in difficulties. Alice discovers no easy answers for the depth of her mother's woes, and yet, buoyed by curiosity, she perseveres and triumphs in small moments throughout the summer. Though accomplished and detailed, the writing at times feels too akin to adult literary fiction, which stretches believability. Still, this is a keenly perceptive and nuanced story awaiting just the right reader.

Gr 5-8 For 12-year-old Alice, swimming is her life, especially this summer since it's the only thing that hasn't changed. A serious car accident has left her mother homebound and their family scattered, living in four different places. In protest, Alice refuses to sleep in her home until the family is reunited, choosing instead to inhabit the backyard in the family's old tent. Late one evening she meets the new next-door neighbor, a young girl named Piper who does not speak. Soon Alice starts babysitting Piper and is surprised when she hears Piper speakbut no one believes her. With the help of a new friend, Harriet, and Piper's older half-brother, Owen, Alice sets out to prove that Piper isn't so silent after all. Alice is a strong, self-driven girl determined to excel in a sport underrepresented in children's fiction. The descriptions of swimming events are vivid and authentic, but, unfortunately, that does not extend to much of the dialogue, plot points, and characters. One-dimensional, absentee adults abound. Despite this, Diehl possesses real potential as a middle grade writer with descriptive imagery that can be quite beautiful at times. VERDICT An interesting, if uneven, story. A secondary purchase for most libraries. Rebecca Gueorguiev, New York Public Library