Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

The end of sixth grade is coming with a lot more change than Macy McMillan bargained for. Not only is her mother's impending marriage saddling their cozy family of two with a new stepdad and two new stepsisters, but it also means Macy must leave her old home behind. Things seem to get worse when Macy's mom forces her to help Iris, their aging next-door neighbor, pack up her home for her own upcoming move into an assisted-living facility. While Iris struggles with her diagnosis of early dementia, Macy, who is deaf and uses sign language, struggles to communicate with her. As the relationship between this unlikely pair blossoms, will Iris be able to help Macy accept the changes in her life? This touching novel in verse makes clever use of space on each page, not only visually acknowledging Macy's deafness, but inviting all readers to understand and process language in multiple ways. Green's story confronts life's challenges with depth and realism, creating a narrative that is sparse yet impactful, with characters that are bursting with life.--Kuss, Rebecca Copyright 2017 Booklist

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Macy, a deaf sixth-grader who attends a mainstream school with an interpreter, faces enormous challenges, as her mother will soon marry, necessitating a move to her new stepdad's house.Macy and her mother have always been a team of just two; adding Alan and his twin daughters is scary and distressing. Fortunately, Macy's mom asks her to help their elderly next-door neighbor, Iris, aka "the rainbow goddess," pack up her enormous collection of books in preparation for heralso unwelcomemove into assisted living. After a big fight with her BFF, Macy is deeply isolated, in need of a friend who can provide gentle, uncritical guidance. Although Iris, tenderly portrayed, initially doesn't know any sign language, the pair communicates in writing that's just as poetic as the free verse that Macy uses to relate her emerging story. The verse trails down the pages in narrow bands leaving plenty of white space. Even characters that are barely sketched emerge fully realized through the spare yet poignant narrative. With few racial markers beyond teacher Mr. Tanaka's name and Iris' blue eyes, the book appears to subscribe to the white default. When one twin endearingly makes the sign "sister" to Macy, it's an affecting moment of deep promise. Macy's life lessons are realistic and illuminating; that she is deaf adds yet another dimension to an already powerful tale. (Fiction. 9-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.