Hurricane Child

Twelve-year-old Caroline lives in the US Virgin Islands with her father after being deserted by her mother and she struggles with bullying at school, issues with her dad, and working through feelings of abandonment. Caroline feels that she finally has found a true friend and someone who can help her find her mother when Kalinda arrives from Barbados, but unexpectedly Caroline falls in love with Kalinda. This engaging novel for grades 5-8 is best suited for guided novel study and can launch discussion and critical thinking about contemporary issues of bullying, personal identity, family relationships, sexual orientation, cliques, and exclusion. Social considerations noted.