Forget-Me-Not Blue

Moranville, Sharelle Byars. Forget-Me-Not Blue
August 8, 2023 by Holiday House
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

Sofie lives with her mother and older brother Con. While times are tough, the family is supportive of each other and make things work. They get a lot of their meals at a local food pantry, where they also find clothes, but both children are good students, and they manage to get scholarships for things like swimming lessons. Their mother's friends can be problematic, and when they are over partying, Sofie often goes to the attic with Con, since there have been times when her mother's boyfriends have gotten a bit too enthusiastic or even violent. One friend, Lili, often supplies drugs, but after an incident years previously when the mother left the children alone for a week and Children's Services almost removed them, their mother stays away from the drugs. When the mother's grandfather, Gunner, shows up to live with them, it seems a bit odd. There's a lot of family trauma, and the children's grandmother, an actress named Summer, was killed in a car accident. The accident also claimed the wife of local diner owner, Tommy, who emply's Sofie's mother in the restaurant. When the mother doesn't come home for several days, it seems like a good idea to have Gunner (whom Sofie refers to as "the scarecrow" around, but he also goes missing. Since it's summer, the children are able to evade detection, and still can get some food. Tommy checks in on them, and brings leftovers. Gunner finally shows up; he's been on a bender. He spent time in prison when Summer was young, and attends AA meetings regularly. He had been sober for twelve years before. When the mother finally returns, it's clear that she is also in the throes of addiction, possibly set off by a back injury. Sofie hopes that everything will settle down, and that she can win an award from her 5th grade teacher, Mr. Bloom, whom she likes and admires, but her mother is arrested and eventually incarcerated three hours away in another state. Gunner is made a temporary guardian, and the family muddles along. Con has his first romance with Jade, a girl who has issues of her own. When Gunner's background finally comes to the attention of Children's Services, Sofie ends up in foster care. Will she ever be able to have a stable family life? 

Strengths: We are certainly seeing more and more students who have family members with addiction, and many who are being raised in less than ideal kinship or friendship arrangements. Books like Petro-Roy's Life in the Balance and Campbell, Marcy's Rule of Threes address some aspects of children dealing with the effect that problematic parents has on their lives, and Sofie's struggles are portrayed in a sympathetic but also interesting way. Both the mother and great grandfather work hard to do what is right for the children, but don't always conquer their problems with addiction. Gunner is portrayed as going to AA meetings frequently in order to be able to take care of the children. Con is a great, protective older brother, and the two gets along well, although there is a little jealousy over Jade and some teen rebelliousness that makes the relationship seem relatable. Tommy is a supportive adult who is the center of a bit of a twist. The adults in the book are generally supportive, and there are people at the food pantry, teachers, and social workers who all do their best for Sophie. I'd like many of my students who take their lives for granted to read the passage where Con takes Sophie to Walmart to buy her tennis shoes after her flip flops break, and to see the joy she feels in having new shoes that are comfortable. 
Weaknesses: This was slightly longer than some middle grade books (272 pages) and dragged a bit in the middle when the family spends a lot of time gardening. I know that Moranville also did A Higher Geometry, and her style reflects some Young Adult influence. 
What I really think: The cover is not appealing. There's not even that much about swimming in the book; Sofie's new tennis shoes would have been better. I enjoyed reading the story, but this would be easier to get into the hands of students with a more contemporary style of illustration.