Circa Now

Gr 4–6—Teased at school, Circa is happiest in her family's photo studio, restoring photos on her father's computer. In one instant, it all changes when her dad is crushed to death by a tree during a tornado. Her father was the one who held together her mother during her bouts of deep depression; worked on a Memory Wall at the local home for dementia patients; and gave Circa a Shopt folder, a collection of silly photoshopped photos and accompanying stories. Soon after the fatal accident, the 12-year-old and her mother discover a teenage boy on their doorstep, covered with scars and holding the last picture her father worked on. He has no memory of any life before the storm, and they name him Miles. With a focus on finding out who this boy is and where he came from, her mother starts facing her anxiety and depression. Slowly, mother and daughter begin to heal with the addition of Miles in their lives. Though the premise of this book is unique, the chapters on Circa's life before the storm makes for a slow start. The inclusion of the photoshopped pictures throughout the text is clever and adds to the juxtaposition throughout the text of grief, sadness, and desperation, mixed with the laughter and happiness Circa feels about her new situation. Yet the characters seem distant instead of emotionally raw. An unusual story for a limited readership.—Clare A. Dombrowski, Amesbury Public Library, MA