Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor.

Addie has spent her life waiting for normal, but her mother is not capable of offering her that.  Now they are living in a trailer in a rough section of town, but at least they are together.  Addie’s ex-stepfather Dwight continues to be a strong figure in Addie’s life, making sure she gets to see her two younger sisters who live with him.   Addie finds pleasure in the community she finds herself in.  She makes friends at her new school as well as at the convenience store across the street from the trailer.  She finds balance and care outside of her mother.  But as her mother descends deeper and deeper into her own life, leaving Addie on the outside, Addie is forced to finally come to terms with the situation she finds herself in.

The characters in this novel are breathtakingly real.  Addie is a strong girl who struggles humanly in her situation.  Dwight is a hero of a stepfather, creating an alternative world for Addie to escape to every so often.  And Soula and Elliot are vivid characters who fill Addie’s lonely times when she’s home.  Even Addie’s mother is a well-rounded character, making the world so much more real and clear.  This is the story of so many children who live in broken homes, poverty, and carelessness.  Connor does not take it too far nor does she shrink from the dirty truth of the situation.  She walks a fearless line of truth through Addie’s life.

Even more impressive is the way that Connor uses symbolism that children will immediately be able to relate to.  Her book is more than a script, evoking the feelings of Addie with passages like this one on page 213:

“…while I was at the inn I started feeling like a Tootsie Roll Pop.  On the outside I was having a shiny-good colorful time.  But I could feel my chewy, gooey center squishing and squashing inside of me.”

Highly recommended for it’s strong writing, great characters, and grip on reality, I consider this one of the top novels for ages 10-12 this year.