HardcoverStrange how a young-adult sci-fi/fantasy novel can ring truer than memoirs written by and for adults. I knew nothing at all about this book going in -- and it really sneaked up on me.
Twelve-year-old Miranda is a "latch key" daughter of a capable, single mother whose own life is still on hold after her unexpected college pregnancy. Although their apartment is somewhat shabby and their family unit somewhat unorthodox for its 1979 setting, they're happy enough.
Then things start changing for Miranda. Her best friend Sal decides he no longer wants to be friends with her, Miranda finds a new friend in a similarly rejected classmate, she begins to have feelings for a boy, she meets a boy (possibly autistic) who doesn't readily understand the needs and emotions of others, and she also starts receiving secret notes from the future.
So much is tackled here: from racism to the difference in income levels to bullying that it's truly shocking, in reflection, how effortlessly all of the topics seemed to be handled. I snapped this closed with satisfaction that a new classic has arrived.
B+
