waiting for normal by leslie connor
Twelve-year-old Addie is ' waiting for normal ' in this sweet coming of age story set in upstate New York. Addie and her mother, or 'mommers,' are living in a trailer underneath a railroad track, the result of a divorce between mommers and Dwight, who Addie thinks of as her dad (although she doesn't refer to him as such). Addie's younger sisters, The Littles, are still living with Dwight,who has been granted full custody of them after mommers pulled a disappearing act, leaving an eleven-year-old Addie to take care of them in the dead of winter for three days. Mommers parenting skills haven't improved. Although Addie stoically hides her mother's neglect from the rest of her family and friends (a wonderful group of misfits at the corner store across the way), the stress of taking care of herself and not knowing when or if the food will run out take their toll, and she starts show the wear and tear of her horrible situation. You'll root for Addie as she...