Description
Description
If thirteen-year-old Sage had done one thing differently that day last November, everything would be fine. Only she didn't, so she and her dad had to leave Philadelphia for a new life in middle-of-nowhere Virginia. Her dad has never actually said he blames her for what happened, but how could he not?
Sage is determined to push it all out of her mind, but then, just before summer vacation, she hears from the grandparents she's never met. They want her to visit, and she realizes this could be her chance to mend the rift that's kept everybody apart.
When she meets Grandmother Marion, though, Sage is sure her trip is headed for disaster. Except she wasn't counting on making a new friend or rescuing a sweet stray dog. With them by her side, maybe she can find the courage to face what she's been avoiding all along.
From the award-winning author of It Happened on Saturday comes a heartfelt and empowering story that explores the complexity of family relationships, the value of forgiveness, and how to find your way forward in a tough situation with resilience and hope.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
"Descriptions of Sage's guilt over the events surrounding her mother's absence, as well as the teen's love for dogs and stellar ping-pong skills, coalesce into a fully fleshed-out character. Her struggles in learning how to cope with current and past events and accept help make for a satisfying emotional journey by Dunlap." --Publishers Weekly
"A riveting novel with crucial themes, Racing the Clouds lays bare the communal effects of drug addiction as a girl seeks generational healing." --Foreword Reviews
"Complex emotional themes are handled with a gentle touch in this realistic story of resilience." --Kirkus Reviews
"Sage's voice rings with the authenticity of a compassionate, thoughtful kid who's struggling between wanting to take care of everyone else, wanting someone to take care of her, and wanting to just run away and leave everyone to deal with their own toxicity." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"A compelling, emotionally engaging, heartfelt coming-of-age novel....Racing the Clouds is an original, skillfully written, and fully absorbing novel that is especially and unreservedly recommended for young readers ages 10-14." --Midwest Book Review
"Sad but delicately handled. . . . For readers of Ann Braden's The Benefits of Being an Octopus." --Booklist
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
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