Stepping Stones

Jen's parents have split up, and Jen and her mom have moved to the country with her mom's boyfriend, Walter. They are having a go at running a farm. On the weekends, Walter's daughters come to stay on the farm. It's a lot to adjust to. Jen is missing city life.

It's rare that I see such delightfully flawed characters—the main character, the other children, even the adults—in a children's book. The conflict between the girls, the conflict between Jen and her mom's boyfriend, the sadness Jen feels at leaving her old life—these are all depicted beautifully and realistically.