Kara Biggs retreats into the world of fiction while caring for her mentally-ill mother after her father leaves them. Kara is only allowed to go to school, otherwise, her mother panics and threatens to call the police. Tired of this isolated environment, Kara decides to accept the offer from her only friend, Stephanie, to come over for dinner. While down the street at Stephanie's home, Kara's secret care-taking of her mother is exposed.

This book treats the subject of mental illness with a compassion, honesty, and hopefulness that a twelve-year old daughter would have for her mother. Kara struggles to cope with caring for her mother, but she is really being pulled into a world that she cannot control. This realistic portrayal of the beast that is mental illness keeps the reader engaged. In the classroom, this book can be discussed when examining issues that are serious challenges for young people, along with issues of HIV/AIDS and drug addiction in parents. ( )