365 Days to Alaska

Rigel lives with her two sisters and her parents in the wilderness of Alaska. They are pretty self-sufficient and don’t need to go into town, which is located miles away, very often. The girls are home schooled and really love their life. But tension between their parents is growing, and they eventually announce they are divorcing. The girls’ mother will take them to Connecticut where they will live with her and her mother. Their dad promises Rigel that she can come back in one year. Rigel has trouble adjusting to her new school, but eventually finds ways to cope. As the year goes on, communications from their dad trickle down to nothing. A phone call to a friend in Alaska and news of her father changes everything for Rigel.

Author Cathy Carr has written a terrific story that perfectly captures the angst of a middle-school girl torn from a home and father she loves and all she has to go through to navigate a new home, school, and life. Readers see her grow and change as she figures out what is really important in life and what it is that truly makes a family. The writing is great and the story compelling. This is a real winner.