The Other, Better Me

It’s always been Lola and her mother in their Myrtle Beach, S.C., mobile home; her Australian father was deported before she was born and stopped calling when she was three. But now that fifth grade has started and her mom is extra tired all the time, Lola is beginning to wonder about that absent dad. Her best friend Kiana, who wants to be a detective, offers to find his contact information, and a class project on inventing an alternative life (“imagine who you might be if your life had taken a different turn”), inspiring Lola to imagine a life with him, and to get in touch. But as they search, Lola uncovers truths she did not expect about her mother, as well as class bully Mallory and, most of all, herself. John (Mascot) brings the protagonist’s hometown to life with an array of well-developed secondary characters, including neighbor Ms. Archambault, who looks after Lola when her mother is at work, and Jayda, the local children’s librarian. Lola discovers the power of using her voice and, with the help of her community and friends, learns that family is the people who are there no matter what. Ages 8–12. [em](Oct.) [/em]