
Finding Normal
Stephanie Faris(Author)
Aladdin (Publisher)
Published on 20. February 2024
Book
Hardback
288 pages
978-1-6659-3890-7 (ISBN)
Description
Perfect for fans of Jamie Sumner and Barbara Dee, this "sincere and heartfelt" (The Horn Book) middle grade novel about friendship, belonging, and the power of community follows a girl whose family is uprooted after a flood destroys their house.
After a horrible storm floods her neighborhood, twelve-year-old Temple and her family are forced to move to a new town. They are some of the lucky ones, able to secure temporary housing relatively quickly. But Temple doesn't feel so lucky starting over at a brand-new school halfway through the year and feeling a weird spotlight on her family's situation from her new classmates. At home, things aren't any better as her family struggles to adjust while figuring out how they can afford to rebuild.
When Temple sees a flyer for a local fundraiser, she decides she can do the same thing for her family. It would get her one big step closer to her old school, friends, and life. After enlisting the help of some new friends, Temple kicks her plan into action, quickly realizing it needs to be much bigger to help not only her family, but the dozens of others affected by the flood.
But adding the pressures of the fundraiser to the strain of grappling with all the recent changes may be more than Temple can handle. As she searches for a return to normal, can she figure out what's truly important?
After a horrible storm floods her neighborhood, twelve-year-old Temple and her family are forced to move to a new town. They are some of the lucky ones, able to secure temporary housing relatively quickly. But Temple doesn't feel so lucky starting over at a brand-new school halfway through the year and feeling a weird spotlight on her family's situation from her new classmates. At home, things aren't any better as her family struggles to adjust while figuring out how they can afford to rebuild.
When Temple sees a flyer for a local fundraiser, she decides she can do the same thing for her family. It would get her one big step closer to her old school, friends, and life. After enlisting the help of some new friends, Temple kicks her plan into action, quickly realizing it needs to be much bigger to help not only her family, but the dozens of others affected by the flood.
But adding the pressures of the fundraiser to the strain of grappling with all the recent changes may be more than Temple can handle. As she searches for a return to normal, can she figure out what's truly important?
Reviews / Votes
"Sincere and heartfelt." * Horn Book * "Themes of community, resilience, and youth empowerment buoy a sincere tale enriched by Faris's personal experience as a flood survivor, as discussed in an author's note." * Publishers Weekly *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York, NY
United States
Publishing group
Simon & Schuster
Target group
Children/juvenile
US School Grade: From Fourth Grade to Eighth Grade, Interest Age: From 9 to 13 years
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
f-c matte film jacket w- spot gloss
Dimensions
Height: 218 mm
Width: 147 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
369 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-6659-3890-7 (9781665938907)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Person
Stephanie Faris knew she wanted to be an author from a very young age. In fact, her mother often told her to stop reading so much and go outside and play with the other kids. After graduating from Middle Tennessee State University, she somehow found herself working in information technology. But she never stopped writing. When she isn't crafting fiction, Stephanie is indulging her gadget geek side by writing for online technology sites. Her work is regularly featured on the small business blogs for Intuit and Go Payment, and she is a featured columnist for SmallBizTechnology.com. She lives in Nashville with her husband.