this was a beautifully done story about found family and how you can find peace in that new family. The characters were everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the characters were everything that I wanted. It was beautifully done and glad Heather Smith wrote this perfectly.

Any fans of Kate DeKamillo would LOVE this. Reading about the resilience and trauma these siblings went through was heartbreaking, but what was beautiful was watching Tig slowly open her heart for a chance at family. Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read, I will be buying this for my classroom :)

This is a heartbreaking, eventually heartwarming, coming of age story of eleven year old Tig and Peter, who, as this begins, have been abandoned by her mother, trying to get by on their own without electricity, until they end up in the police station. It is then that her Uncle Scott and his partner Manny are called down to the police station, and while Tig, short for Tigger, is not happy with the way things happened at first, she eventually lets her guard down enough to let her Uncle Scott and Manny in.

This story is shared from Tig’s perspective, the journey she will take in order to allow herself to consider that she now is part of a family. A family that actually wants her, even when she is acting up, being difficult. There is a real home to live in, a sense of security. After all she has been through, eleven years of no one ever wanting to be part of her world, she finally realizes that she is actually wanted, that they are now family.


Pub Date: 03 Sep 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Penguin Random House Canada / Tundra Books

I’m not crying, you’re crying. Maybe we’re both crying. Tig and Peter are taken in by her Uncle Scott and his partner Manny after a long stretch of fending for themselves; her mother disappears and leaves them without anything. Tig, short for Tigger, is traumatized and unwilling to let her walls down, but the story is told from her perspective, a whip-smart and tough mind adjusting to her new surroundings.

Smith’s writing is as edgy and clear as Tig’s personality, and her story is told with the gentlest touch, showcasing the very real trauma that her character has faced. Even though I cried during several moments in the book, this slim novel is a feel-good story. The reality of life and the saving grace of love are both on display - and Tig is such a fantastic character: so raw, rough and tumble, and too smart for her own good. The stream-of-consciousness voice is so well done. The reader is along for the ride with Tig the entire way, feeling her pain and inability to be loved. This book will break your heart but in the best sort of way.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Eleven year old Tig and her brother Peter move in with their Uncle Scott and his partner Manny after being abandoned by their alcoholic mother.

I read this book with my ten year old son: he likes realistic fiction and characters he can identify with. While I hope he never has to experience the kind of trauma the title character faced, he can definitely understand having emotions that are too big for him to process alone, and I suspect they are not alone in that. Many kids will be able to understand what this feels like, and that’s why this book is great for helping children develop empathy.

I love Uncle Scott and Manny so much. They are the emotionally mature and stable parents that Tig needed in so many ways. They are thrown into the situation of having to take in the children with no time to prepare, and yet they rise to the occasion in 1000 little ways. Tig resists their attempts to make her feel loved in the beginning, but I love their patience and subtle perseverance with her. Scott and Manny are role models for the rest of us- parents just trying to do the best we can.

This story is written so well, and my son and I adored it. It was emotional and sweet, and while he can be a tough critic, he really got into it. It led to some very good conversations between us. We will be sure to recommend it!