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Summary
Summary
From the acclaimed author of Extraordinary Birds , a powerful story about family, friendship, and the light that can be found even in the darkest of places.
Cassie's always looked up to her mom, a vibrant woman bursting with grand ideas. Together they planned to check off every dream on their think-big bucket list, no matter how far the adventures took them. The future seemed unlimited.
But then came the diagnosis, and Mom started to lose her memories. Even the ones Cassie thought she'd never forget. Even Cassie's name.
Cassie tries her hardest to keep Mom happy . . . to focus on math lessons and come up with art ideas that used to burst off her pen. But as Mom's memories dimmed, so did Cassie's inspiration. She's even pushed away Bailey, the one friend who could help make things okay.
So, Cassie decides to take action. It's time for one last adventure... even if it means taking a big risk to get there.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 4--7--Amidst flashbacks to happier times, 12-year-old Cassie and her father do their best to cope with her mother's early-onset Alzheimer's disease. The disease is rapidly progressing--her mom might remember a pop song or how much she loves dolphins, but not what she likes to eat or even Cassie's name. Meanwhile, Cassie struggles at school with the art show, and with maintaining a good relationship with her ex-best friend Bailey. Of the multiple conflicts, the most dominant might be Cassie's desire to take her mother to swim with dolphins at an aquatic park against her father's wishes. The call for this last adventure develops slowly, about one third of the way through the book. This lack of immediate, solvable conflict may be too sluggish to appeal to most children. Older readers may appreciate the unanswerable difficulties. Bailey's mother's death, which happened when Bailey was a toddler, sets up an intriguing comparison between grieving a mother's cognitive changes and a mother who is gone both in body and spirit, not that such a comparison can be objective given human resilience. However, Cassie's classroom dynamics feel much more like a fifth grade classroom, and her interactions with friends regarding art and soccer seem juvenile. The metaphors examining Cassie's feelings and artistic endeavors generally add a lilting, poetic feel to the story. With Cassie's intense feelings and the surrealistic behaviors of her mother, the book flows dreamily from flashbacks to lost memories, ending with love and affirmation. VERDICT A lovely but not particularly gripping examination of a girl grappling with her mother's early-onset Alzheimer's disease.--Erin Reilly-Sanders, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Publisher's Weekly Review
Cassie Rodrigues's adventurous mother was the vital heart of her family, always singing and making grand plans. Now that she has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's, she's childlike, unpredictable, and unable to remember Cassie's name. Cassie's father wants to keep her mom indoors to protect her, but Cassie, an artist, knows that Mom, who "has always loved being outside and going places," needs to walk in the canyon near their Santa Fe home and do the things that bring her joy. Though the fifth grader has pulled back from her best friend Bailey, she enlists Bailey's help to take her mother on one last adventure--secretly achieving her mom's lifelong dream to swim with dolphins in San Diego--before she's moved to a care facility. The moving narrative gives readers a sense of the condition's advancement through Cassie's memories of her mother, pre-Alzheimer's. Though Cassie's endless patience with her mother's behavior at times strains credulity, it shows the depth of her love amid the disease's realities, convincingly portrayed alongside the heartbreaking loss that Cassie and her father experience. Ages 8--11. Agent: Patricia Nelson, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Apr.)
Booklist Review
Alzheimer's disease is a heartbreaking diagnosis and the early-onset form is especially cruel. Cassie's mom, a former mathematics whiz and avid swimmer, has been recently diagnosed, but the disease is taking its toll on everyone, including Dad (who has become overly safety conscious) and Cassie (who has cut herself off from friends and no longer finds joy in her art). In a last-ditch attempt to help Mom cross something off her bucket list, Cassie plans a trip to San Diego, where Mom can swim with the dolphins one last time. The plan hits a few snags, but there is no denying Mom's joy during her swim. Stark-McGinnis (Extraordinary Birds, 2019) writes with empathy of the day-to-day changes to family life that accompany dementia, as well as difficult choices, such as choosing a care home, that inevitably arise. Subplots involving best friend Bailey (who also experienced the loss of her mother) and Cassie's love of art keep the overall mood from becoming too downbeat. Thoughtful and enlightening.