Hank Hooperman’s mother has been missing for a full week. It’s not the first time she’s been away from home, but it’s certainly the longest. Hank has done the best he can to take care of his three year old sister Boo, but they’re running out of food and money. When the property manager threatens eviction, Hank makes a desperate move and brings Boo to the emergency contact listed on a field trip permission slip, a mysterious woman named Lou Ann. Lou Ann turns out to be a family friend, and takes the children in, but not without reservation. As days slip by and Hank’s mother doesn’t turn up, he wonders if going to Lou Ann was a mistake. Sure, he’s making friends at the new school and he loves his basketball team. Sure, Boo is thriving under Lou Ann’s care. But Lou Ann sure seems to hate him and all tweens and teens. And now their social worker is saying he and Boo will have to be separated. Maybe coming to Lou Ann was a level 10 mistake.
This book will break your heart then warm it up again. Choldenko presents a loving portrait of Hank, a boy torn between wanting to trust a parent who continues to fail him and a foster care system that frustrates and alienates, even when its workers are doing their best. He is a really good kid stuck in an impossible situation, trying to stand up for his right to be his sister’s caretaker even when he needs someone to care for him so, so badly. The adults in Hank’s life are presented realistically and complexly. Lou Ann is thorny, but gets Boo potty-trained and learning better than a sixth grader can hope to do. Ray, her neighbor, loves Hank and Boo but is recovering from losing a child, leaving him guarded. Hank and Boo adore their mother, and we see her charming moments, while it is very clear that her substance abuse has made her an extremely neglectful parent.
This book is a great conversation starter for difficult situations. What makes a family, and what happens when your family fails you? What rights do siblings have and why is it so hard to keep siblings together in foster care? How much responsibility should a big brother have, and what should he never have to worry about? Great book club pick, great tearjerker, great book.