Relative Strangers

There are many gaps in eighteen-year-old Jules’ life and when she needs a baby picture for the yearbook she decides to find answers. Jules learns she was in foster care for almost two years when her alcoholic mother couldn’t care for her, and when she decides to find her foster parents she begins a journey of self-discovery and learns about her upbringing, mother, friends, and foster family. This honest, coming-of-age novel deals with issues of relationships with peers/friends/parents, identity, self-discovery, and personal worth. Also suitable for literature circles to learn writing skills and discuss the themes and character development, narrator reliability, and authenticity. Social considerations noted.