In this memoir in verse, the author recalls the period in her childhood when she, her two younger siblings, and their mother were evicted from their apartment. Katie’s mom (Black) is out of a job and depressed. Her dad (white) lives in a house in the suburbs with his new Thai wife, Ning. With both food and privacy in too-short supply at the extended-stay motel where they’ve landed, Katie is mad at her mom for being unable to provide and unwilling to accept help from their father; she’s mad at her father for not helping them more when he has the means. Eventually, Katie gains insight into past traumas and very real fears that have impacted both her parents, as well as Ning. But for Katie and her siblings, the fact remains that their lives have been upended, and it isn’t until they are out of the hotel and back in a new apartment that things begin to turn around. Katie’s story is hard, and eventually hopeful, and will resonate both factually and emotionally with readers for a range of reasons, from the uncertainty and fears that go with being homeless to the messiness and complexity of families to the way adult problems and struggles impact children’s lives. The author’s note shines a light on Van Heidrich’s later childhood and adulthood, including positive relationships with both parents, and her career as an educator. (Age 11 and older)

For fans of Enchanted Air by Margarita Engle and Life in Motion by Misty Copeland, this middle grade memoir in verse with “stellar writing [and] perfect pacing” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) chronicles a young girl and her family who must start over after losing their home.

In the early 2000s, thirteen-year-old Katie Van Heidrich has moved more times that she can count, for as long as she can remember. There were the slow moves where you see the whole thing coming. There were the fast ones where you grab what you can in seconds. When Katie and her family come back from an out-of-town funeral, they discover their landlord has unceremoniously evicted them, forcing them to pack lightly and move quickly.

They make their way to an Extended Stay America Motel, with Katie’s mother promising it’s temporary. Within the four walls of their new home, Katie and her siblings, Josh and Haley, try to live a normal life—all while wondering if things would be easier living with their father. Lyrical and forthcoming, Katie navigates the complexities that come with living in-between: in between homes, parents, and childhood and young adulthood, all while remaining hopeful for the future.