Kyra, Just for Today

Gr 5 Up–With playful banter, Kyra helps her single mother clean houses before the start of the school day. After school, she cooks, frets about bills, and functions more as a peer than a daughter, all while struggling to fit in with her actual peers in seventh grade. Kyra finds refuge in her weekly support group for teens whose lives are affected by a family member with alcoholism. Her best friend attends the same meetings, and Kyra grows insecure when the social pressures of middle school collide with her safe space. Afraid her friend is drifting away from her, Kyra becomes withdrawn and reluctant to participate at meetings. This leaves her feeling she has nowhere to turn when she suspects that her mother is drinking after five years of sobriety. Kyra’s voice is raw and believable as she grapples with shame, self-doubt, and the belief that she is somehow to blame for her mother’s relapse. The novel’s account of middle school social dynamics will resonate broadly, and its unflinching depiction of life with an alcoholic parent offers an important perspective. Readers will root for Kyra as she learns to trust herself and those around her. Several secondary characters provide unexpected support, but Kyra’s resilience and growth are center stage. Kyra and her mother are both white.