August or Forever

In Upstate New York, 10-year-old Molly idolizes older half sister Alison, who lives in London. Now that Alison has graduated from university, she plans to spend all of August with Molly and her father, but Molly wishes that Alison would stay forever. Meanwhile, Molly’s best friend, Diane, expresses frustration about her own younger sister’s constantly copying her. While Molly believes that she and Alison sincerely bonded over their shared love of drawing and have stayed close through letters and video chats, Diane’s complaints evoke worries that Alison might be annoyed by Molly as well. When a teaching position becomes available at her school, where their father is on the hiring committee, Molly assumes that Alison won’t leave if Dad gives her the job (“Part of me wants to blurt out my idea, but parents never listen to kids when it comes to grown-up things like jobs”). As emotional upsets complicate Alison’s visit, Molly struggles with jealousy and feelings of loneliness around her sister. Though time spent with the characters is brief, lending to somewhat shallow development, Molly’s palpable longing for stability and connectivity buoys this earnest examination of long-distance familial relationships and fear of change. The cast reads as white. Ages 9–12. (Feb.)