Review by Booklist Review
In this lyrical novel, Weeks turns to Ruby and Roy Franklin and their daughter, Aurora, supposedly the luck bestowed by Heidi in Weeks' So B. It (2004). All her life, Aurora has heard the story about Heidi, who came to Liberty, New York, in search of her mother, Sophia. Heidi is about to become a mother herself and wants to visit the Franklins before her daughter is born. Aurora feels conflicted: she worries that her mother loves Heidi more than her, a worry that is exacerbated when a fire drives them from home temporarily and Aurora's beloved dog, Duck, disappears. Furthermore, Aurora has difficulty socially at school due to the quirky behavior she calls weird. In spite of almost hostile feelings, Aurora comes to terms with her pain and learns the meaning of soof, Sophia's word for deep, abiding love. Aurora's behavior is on the verge of bratty, but soof and Weeks' poetic language prevail in the end. Fans of Weeks' So B. It might appreciate the continuation of the story in this character-driven novel.--Donna Scanlon Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-Rory has distinctive traits, with particular habits and behaviors, like tapping three times before sitting and speaking in "beepish." She is more comfortable with her dog, Duck, than with classmates and most people. More than one psychologist has declared Rory to be "quirky, but not on the spectrum." None of this bothers Rory, but she is very concerned about an impending visit from Heidi. Heidi once lived with Rory's parents, bringing them good fortune, which, according to Rory's mom, resulted in Rory's birth. Heidi is now a married woman expecting her first child, and she wants to visit for a special reason: it has to do with soof, a word from Heidi's childhood that means "love." Could Rory's mom have more soof for Heidi than for Rory? A house fire and the disappearance of Duck adds to the drama. Rory's place in the family and the pain of a lost dog are resolved in the fast-paced conclusion. The search for the meaning of soof was Heidi's quest in Weeks's So B. It and becomes Rory's in this return to the town of Liberty. Happily, both find it in this standalone novel. VERDICT A poignant and well-crafted tale for fans of Weeks's previous novels and readers who enjoy character-driven family narratives set in small towns.-Maria B. Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Twelve-year-old Aurora Franklin is matter-of-fact about being weird; but her tics, sensory issues, and compulsive behaviors have long worried her mother and made her something of an outcast at school. Thats okayshe much prefers the company of her parents and her best friend, Duck the dog. Her circumscribed world is thrown into disarray, however, by two events. First, an impending visit from a girl who stayed with my parents for a little while before I was born, the now-adult Heidi (protagonist of Weekss So B. It, rev. 7/04), brings up anxiety about her mothers devotion to this stranger from the past. My mother alwaysconnected Heidis story with mineBut sometimes I wondered what it would feel like to have a story all my own, instead of having to share it with some girl Id never met. Next, a devastating house fire displaces the family and throws Auroras insecurities into stark relief. The damage to their home is extensive but possible to repair. Repairing damage to the mother-daughter relationship is less certain, especially after Auroras mom questions her about her role in starting the fire. Aurora is a likably quirky first-person narrator; her struggles to make sense of the world and her place in it should resonate with middle-grade readers. This book doesnt depend on having read So B. It, which took place when Heidi herself was twelve, though Auroras story brings the previous one full circle as Heidi helps bridge the divide between another mother and daughter. A moving exploration of family, love, and forgiveness. kitty Flynn January/February 2019 p 107(c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Fans of Weeks' So B. It (2004) will recognize this companion book's title as Heidi It's intellectually disabled mother's word for love.Twelve-year-old narrator-protagonist Aurora Franklin, the biological daughter of the couple who fostered Heidi before Aurora was born, has grown up hearing about Heidi and her good luck. Her parentsMom especiallycredit this good luck with giving them Aurora. Sadly, Mom's love for Heidi has instilled feelings of inadequacy in Aurora, who believes her mother wishes she were more like Heidi. Aurora has always been different. She speaks a made-up language called Beepish, prefers the company of adults to that of children, and wears her T-shirts inside out because of the bothersome tags. Mom was 48 when Aurora was born, resulting in anxiety for her daughter's well-being. She sought desperately for a diagnosis, but doctors ruled out autism spectrum disorder, concluding that "quirky" Aurora simply marches to her own beat. A now-grown and pregnant Heidi's impending visit triggers tension between Aurora and her mother, and Aurora is determined not to be nice to Heidi. Will she learn there's "soof" enough for them both? Aurora is complex, simultaneously eliciting sympathy and exasperation. She's blunt, bordering on rude, but her heartache at losing her dog, her only friend, is palpable. Knowledge of the previous book isn't a prerequisite. The book adheres to the white default.A sweet story that shows all you need is soof. (Fiction. 8-13) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
