“This is a book for RIGHT NOW.” — Teresa Toten, author of The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B
Is it asking too much to live a typical twelfth grade existence? Kelsey Kendler just wants to earn some money for university, hang out with friends, maybe even snag a boyfriend. But her pill-popping mom and distant dad scare off anybody she tries to bring home, making those last two things feel impossible.
As the lockdown takes its toll on Kelsey’s mental health, she starts to see the appeal of her mom’s pills. She hates what they do to her mom, but numbing herself to the world seems like a pretty good idea right about now. Horrified to find herself following in her mom’s footsteps, she can only hope she’ll eventually figure out some other way to cope …
“In I’m Good and Other Lies by Bev Katz Rosenbaum (Cormorant Books), Kelsey is a high-school senior who, when the pandemic hits, gets stuck at home with her family. I can relate, as I was stuck in lockdown with my family and my mom. (Ugh.) Just like I did with mine, Kelsey deals with her family’s eccentricities, including depression and addiction, while trying not to mirror those behaviours.”