cover image Middletown

Middletown

Sarah Moon. Levine Querido, $17.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-64614-042-8

When their single mother is arrested for drunk driving in their small New England town and sent to rehab, 13-year-old Eli Reynolds’s sister Anna, 17, passes herself off as the siblings’ estranged aunt so they can remain together. Anna struggles to make rent, while Eli hides the truth from her friends and pines for her best friend Meena, who is Indian American. As the duo’s lie begins to unravel and their relationship strains, they’re forced to come to terms with their mother’s alcohol dependence, their complicated family history, and—most importantly—each other. Told in the third person through the perspective of Eli, who identifies as “not quite a girl,” Moon’s (Sparrow) sophomore novel handles sensitive topics with care: it clearly conveys that the teens’ mother’s alcoholism is a disease, not a moral failing, without minimizing her children’s experiences, including Eli’s patience and Anna’s anger. Its representation of siblinghood is equally nuanced, portraying a bond that rings true (in one memorable passage, Eli reflects on sometimes seeing “all the Annas” she’s known at once). Though the story’s emotional elements can outshine its occasionally meandering plot, this journey is a rewarding one. Ages 8–12. [em]Agent: Molly Ker Hawn, the Bent Agency. (Apr.) [/em]