If you want issues, this book has got them. Lots of them.
Recommended grade level: 5-8
Pages: 256 (for ISBN 9780803738164 )
Genre(s) and keywords: realistic fiction
Tone/Style: resigned, exploratory
Pace: moderate
Topics: dogs, cancer, writing, magicians, libraries, adoptees, abuse
Themes: illness, belonging, finding meaning, grief and loss, death, change
Summary: Ben Coffin knows from foster care that people can leave you without a good-bye. That’s why he prefers to hide out in the Coney Island library with his sci-fi novels, until he rescues an abandoned dog from the alley next door. Scruffy little Flip introduces Ben to fellow book lover Halley—yes, like the comet. Some call her Rainbow Girl for her crazy-colored clothes, but for Ben it’s her laugh, pure magic, the kind that makes you smile away the stormiest day. Continue reading
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