FEBRUARY 2020 - AudioFile
Narrator Katherine Littrell is the voice of 17-year-old Trix McCabe, who is trying to survive alone after her mother disappears. Her voice projects a false bravado as she recounts her story of distrust, loneliness, and need. When her case worker tracks her down and places her with the family of the father she never knew, Trix has a chance to change her life’s direction. Littrell is adept at giving Trix a range of emotions as she resists but eventually opens herself up to connection. Auntie’s tough-love voice encourages Trix to put down roots and bloom or wither. Mia’s voice is full of unconditional love and acceptance as she wraps Trix seamlessly into the McCabe family. Cousin Ember’s shy voice gains confidence while supporting Trix. An original coming-of-age story. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
From the Publisher
Asebedo unravels a beautiful tale of secrets and shame as Trix’s story gradually unfolds… A compelling exploration of what makes a family, how the past defines us, and the struggle to change.” — Booklist
Booklist
Asebedo unravels a beautiful tale of secrets and shame as Trix’s story gradually unfolds… A compelling exploration of what makes a family, how the past defines us, and the struggle to change.
Booklist
Asebedo unravels a beautiful tale of secrets and shame as Trix’s story gradually unfolds… A compelling exploration of what makes a family, how the past defines us, and the struggle to change.
FEBRUARY 2020 - AudioFile
Narrator Katherine Littrell is the voice of 17-year-old Trix McCabe, who is trying to survive alone after her mother disappears. Her voice projects a false bravado as she recounts her story of distrust, loneliness, and need. When her case worker tracks her down and places her with the family of the father she never knew, Trix has a chance to change her life’s direction. Littrell is adept at giving Trix a range of emotions as she resists but eventually opens herself up to connection. Auntie’s tough-love voice encourages Trix to put down roots and bloom or wither. Mia’s voice is full of unconditional love and acceptance as she wraps Trix seamlessly into the McCabe family. Cousin Ember’s shy voice gains confidence while supporting Trix. An original coming-of-age story. N.E.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2020-02-17
A teenager finds love and family after a tough start in life.
Seventeen-year-old Trixie McCabe is a school dropout and a drifter living on her own since her drug-addicted mother walked out on her. Trix uses her gift for going unnoticed to steal whatever she needs to support herself. When she is caught by social services, she is given the choice to either go to jail or live with her late father’s family in the small town of Rocksaw, Kansas. After she chooses the latter option, Trix discovers that possessing a gift marks her as a true McCabe woman: Her aunt, Mia, can bake magical pies while her cousin, Ember, can tell a person’s deepest secret through touch. But even though she is welcomed with open arms, staying put goes against Trix’s instincts and everything she has ever known. A stand-alone companion to Asebedo’s debut, The Deepest Roots (2018), the novel follows Trix’s journey as she makes choices that will define her, with an arc that explores trauma, loneliness, and acceptance. If some of the plot points are paint-by-numbers, this is offset by the genuinely touching and supportive relationship between the McCabe women. The magical abilities of the McCabes are an open secret in Rocksaw, accepted at face value. Trix is coded as white, and some secondary characters are people of color, including Trix’s Latinx romantic interest, Jasper Ruiz.
Whimsical and heartwarming. (Magical realism. 14-18)
