The Sea in Winter

I will probably always read anything that Christine Day puts out. I always learn something about Indigenous nations, I feel a great well of emotion, and I root for her characters.

Maisie dreams of being a ballet dancer but she's torn her ACL. We meet her as she is in recovery and doing pretty well physically. But emotionally she's in a dark place. She feels disconnected from her family and friends. And after a major setback on a family trip to their native lands, she feels like her ballet dreams are over.

I loved Maisie's blended family and how supportive they were of her. Even though she's been keeping them at arms length, they still love her unconditionally and want her to succeed. I liked that this book address mental health for children. Maisie is clearly suffering from anxiety and depression and she ends up going to therapy to help her work through those emotions and find new ways to cope with her situation. She becomes excited about the possibilities in her life and that's so wonderful and inspiring to see.

"It's impossible to know what the future will bring. But right now, I choose onward. I bet it will be beautiful."

This is the perfect book for quarantine. It’s main theme is dealing with loss (though I won’t tell you what kind or how). So often, small humans have big emotions, and it can be hard to find a book that does justice to those big feelings. It’s easy to be patronizing. It’s difficult to tell someone’s story in a genuine, empathetic way. I can’t wait to put this on my list for my kids to choose from next year and I can’t wait to read everything else by this author!