Twelve-year-old army brat Abbey is the new kid at her Tennessee middle school. Although she has made one good friend over the summer, she is distressed to get her first menstrual period at school, to lose her aunt in the September 11 bombings, and to have her father deployed to Afghanistan shortly afterward. Through a series of poems told in the first person, Abbey reveals the inner thoughts she cannot share with others: her inability to confide in Mom, who is mourning her sister; her fears that Dad will not return safely from his tour of duty; and her silent admiration for Jiman, a Muslim classmate who is stoic in the face of insults and torment from other kids. The poems vary in style (most are free verse, but some employ concrete formatting); are short; and are collected in monthly chapters that chronicle Abbey's seventh-grade year. As time progresses, Abbey begins to feel at home, finds the courage to speak up for her friends, and expresses herself through her art.

A girl in a U.S. military family navigates the days and months following Sept. 11, 2001.Tennessee is only the most recent place that seventh grader Abbey has lived: Her dad's an Army sergeant, and his career means the family has moved frequently. DuBois uses free verse for Abbey's first-person narration, skillfully conveying her protagonist's pained and halting thoughts, occasionally integrating a lone, subtly meaningful rhyme. Themes weave loosely: Abbey's first period (arriving "like a punch to the gut / like a shove in the girls' room"); the terrorist attacks; grieving a beloved aunt, lost on the 86th floor of a New York tower, the entire building "also missing"; sublime peer friendship and run-of-the-mill peer bullying; Abbey's artwork; longing for roots. As Dad deploys to Afghanistan, the stress and suffering of military families are written with breadth and warmth. Potential suffering of humans on the other side of that war receives only one dubious and dismissive mention, however. Abbey's Muslim, Kurdish American classmate, Jiman, is kind and artistic, and Abbey eventually befriends her. However, Jiman and her family might be the only characters of color in this small Tennessee town, and Jiman is portrayed as so confident, dignified, invulnerable, and inscrutable-rarely reacting even when facing racism and Islamophobia-that she exists mostly for Abbey's (and readers') edification.A sensitive portrayal of art and roots pulled under by a narrow cultural perspective. (author's note) (Verse fiction. 10-13)

Gr 5-8 Set against the backdrop of 9/11, this authentic coming-of-age story highlights one girl's journey towards courage and belonging. Twelve-year-old Abbey is tired of moving. Having a father in the military means she is always the new kid. Hopefully this time will be different, especially with a friend like Camille by her side. When Abbey wakes up on September 11, she doesn't expect to get her period. And she really doesn't expect a terrorist attack to rock the country. Before Abbey can ask about "girl supplies," her mom races off to New York City, where her sister has been declared "missing." Left with a dad preparing for active duty, Abbey is forced to navigate anxiety and grief on her own. At school, things aren't much better. Every day she dreads being called "army brat" and seeing the bullies taunt Camille and the other new girl, Jiman. Abbey wonders if she will ever find the courage to stand up for the people and things she believes in. Writing in captivating verse, DuBois brilliantly evokes tension as she chronicles the horrors of 9/11 and Abbey's personal tragedies. With a strong, genuine voice, Abbey conveys her journey from insecurity to belonging. As she shares her challenges, discoveries, and triumphs, readers will encounter themes of xenophobia, war, depression, and the difficulties of menstruation. VERDICT This dynamic tale provides a gutsy glimpse of one girl's experience on the cusp of womanhood, the trauma of loss during 9/11, and the sustaining power of bravery and friendship.Rebecca Redinger, Lincoln Park Branch, Chicago P.L.