Lilac and the Switchback

Gr 3-7–As Lilac and her best friend Callie get ready to start seventh grade, Callie predicts life will be full of change. But Lilac doesn’t know if she wants anything to change, even as Callie insists “change is fun!” and embraces it. As the girls experiment with new clubs, friends, and activities, even more change is afoot at home: Lilac’s Aunt Truly is pregnant with twins. Since Lilac, who is not Truly or Uncle Mack’s biological daughter, sometimes feels like an “extra” and “in-the-way” family member, this is too much to handle, prompting her to reach out to her estranged biological father. A thoughtful and vulnerable narrator in this verse novel, Lilac and her journey will resonate with anyone who has feared change and has been forced, whether they felt ready or not, to grapple with its (sometimes surprising) consequences. As Lilac forges bonds with her new hiking friends (her “tramily” or trail family), she begins to realize the value of a zig-zagging path where creating your own markers to follow leads you exactly where you need to be. Lilac is minimally described, but is cued white.