Honey

The idea of the nuclear family, with a mother, a father, and their biological children, is a central concept in Western culture. Families like this take center stage in American popular culture, from family-centered literature to sitcoms and movies. Sarah Weeks’s work challenges the status quo of stories about the nuclear family to tell the stories of families that do not fit into the rigid nuclear box. Instead, Weeks’s novels feature less-common family dynamics and the questions and conflicts that arise from them. 

So B. It’s protagonist goes on a journey to seek answers about where she and her mother, who has an intellectual disability, came from. As Simple as It Seems follows a protagonist living with fetal alcohol syndrome and adopted parents, seeking answers to her biological past and questioning her own identity. Jumping the Scratch follows a protagonist recovering from trauma caused earlier in his childhood, seeking answers for himself and his aunt, whose memory is skipping. These novels handle tragedy and resilience in a way that is accessible for young readers. Weeks’s novels also have a common thread of mystery and self-discovery: As Weeks’s young protagonists seek answers to the overarching mysteries, they also find answers about who they are as people and what they want from the world.