12-year-old Olivia lives with her 5-year-old sister, Berkley, and their mother, in a small, run down trailer park. Their father left some time ago. Their mother isn't doing very well raising two daughters on her own. She can't afford day care for Berkley, so she keeps Olivia out of school to take care of her sister while she goes to work cleaning houses. A strange boy, Bart, shows up one day, spying on one of Olivia's neighbors. He tells Oliva that he's with the FBI and he has to spy on Grant, who is wanted for all sorts of crimes. Olivia's pretty sure he's lying, because Grant is just a slightly weird neighbor, but a pretty nice guy overall. Still, Bart is the most interesting thing to happen to her in a long time, and she might be falling in love with him.
As the story moves along, the degree of dysfunction in Olivia's family rises more and more to the surface, and the mood of the book changes in the last third. Almost everything Olivia has believed, or tried to believe, seems to be falling apart, and she is falling apart with it.
What feels like a sort of light story in the first half is pretty serious by the end. Olivia narrates the story in many ways like a 12-year-old really would; and yet, I was not bothered by the writing style. It actually gave more impact to the book. I just loved Olivia and Berkley.
When I finished it, I had tears in my eyes just because it was so good. Sad, happy, funny and strange. ( )

Olivia lives in Sunny Pines Trailer Park with her mother and her smart little sister Berkley. Her Dad has disappeared after always fighting with her mother. Something is amiss with the mother as she cannot afford child care fees so she asks Olivia to stay home from school to mind her 5 year old sister. On one afternoon where Olivia is "home schooling" her little sister, she meets a boy called Bart who is a bit strange but is great company as she gets a bit lonely with only her sister with her. As well as looking after "Berk", Olivia also enters as many contests as she can in the hope of winning enough money to get them out of the trailer park and into a decent home.
Unfortunately the school catches up with Olivia and she is forced to return and the Mum works extra shifts to pay for child care. Back at school, Olivia runs into Bart but everyone is calling him Harrison - what is true and what isn't? Then, to make matters worse, Berk plays up at child care and is banned, so Olivia has to take her to school and hides her in an old broom cupboard with colouring in books, etc.
What is happening with Olivia's Mum? Where did her Dad go and how will she cope with her strange life?
A sad tale told through the eyes of a child. A bit like "How to look for a lost dog" and "Raymie Nightingale" ( )

Recommend this book to students who loved Waiting for Normal. ( )

A middle school novel that can also be enjoyed by adults. Twelve year old Olivia seems to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her dad has left their home in the trailer park and her mom is stressed and never seems to have the energy, time or money to do much. Olivia has basically assumed responsibility for taking care of herself and her younger sister, Berkley. When Olivia meets a strange boy named Bart, she begins to hope that a little bit of happiness has found her home. This story has both ups and downs. A few times it seems a little long winded, but Olivia is such a likeable character, it made the story interesting. I was a little disappointed by the ending which felt a bit rushed and out of place, but a great story overall! I received a complimentary ebook from the publisher. ( )