The cover is so pretty, which drew me to this book. However, I did think that the writing was lacking so it was hard for me to get through. I think it's pretty relatable to kids, as divorce is common

I love how this one didn't shy away from discussing deeper topics that we usually leave out of children's novels. I think it's important that themes like these are included in middle-grade books because its a reality for some children reading these books.

Beautiful story that explores not only divorce but parental mental health struggles. Sure to resonate with middle school readers.

. The main character was caught between two cultures not just two parents. There are French words weaved in the story in a way that felt natural. The characters were relatable. The book talks about the dark and vulnerable side of divorce through a kids point of view.

For the Record has themes and topics that are very important to discuss. The story follows Justine after the divorce of her parents who takes down notes every time her father does something deemed wrong. This gives her mother an advantage to demand sole custody of Justine. This book is supposed to cover parental alienation, which it does very well. However, my issue is the lack of consequences and the neatness of the ending. There are signs of parentification, and the mother is very manipulative and has a lot that she herself needs to work through. We are also just told that the father is a bad parent but are never really shown why. And that might be part of the point, but I wanted to know more about the relationship he had with Justine beyond the manipulation that Justine's mother showed. I would also think that Justine's lies, and notes would have negatively impacted her relationship with her father. Justine's mother also didn't really seem to experience any consequences for how she treated and used Justine. I overall just wanted to see more from what was going on and more details and buildup between events.

I would like to thank Owlkids Books for providing me with an ARC.

Justine and her younger sister Bea split their time between their recently divorced mother and father. Their mom and dad’s parenting styles couldn’t be any more different. Their anxious mom runs a tight ship, while their dad is much more relaxed. Justine’s mom makes it clear that she thinks that Justine’s dad and her older half-sister are bad influences on Justine and Bea. Justine takes this as a cue and uses a notebook to document her father’s parenting missteps, thinking that if her mom has full custody of the sisters, her mother’s anxiety will ease, and she will feel better. After an incident with little sister Bea is turned into a lie about physical abuse, things escalate to involve lawyers and a judge in family court. Justine begins to question if what she has done is the right choice. This was a difficult book to read, but one that may be helpful for children dealing with similar issues. The author paints a realistic picture of the messiness of divorce and custody issues that many children experience. Told from the perspective of twelve-year-old Justine, her voice will capture readers as they follow her journey and see her reflect on her place in her parents’ conflict.

This is a must have middle grade book for every library. Polak explores the effects of divorce on her characters and really shows how the actions/words of the parents can impact the children. Justine is a sweet and believable character who only wants to do the right thing, but sometimes what she is told is the right thing really isn't. This book is definitely an emotional roller coaster towards the end and some readers may find this book a bit tough to read depending on their own experience with divorce.

E ARC received from NetGalley

This is a really hard book to review. Honestly, it was a hard book to read. Justine is a 12 year old girl struggling with her parents messy divorce. Her mother suffers from anxiety that manifests as the need to control everything and when she files for sole custody, Justine begins to document any signs of “negligence” that might work in her mom’s favor. But it isn’t one sided. Justine realizes that her father does a lot of things right. Some bad choices are made and some others who love her lend their support, Justine starts to realize the toxicity of her parents’ relationship. Justine has to be a child and be true to herself in order for everyone to find a solution.

While this is an important topic, it isn’t a book that I enjoyed reading. That isn’t to say that a kid going through something like this wouldn’t, it is just hard to set that aside. There were also many times, especially in the first half, where it felt like it was dragging.

A fascinating look at parental alienation and the exploration of divorce in a MG book. I found the narrator charming and it was easy to cheer for her and her sister. I also liked the setting in Montreal!

A bit more on the challenging side of things, this MG book explores the very serious and hard side of divorce and its effects on children. While this story is needed, it's not a very fun book to read. It's hard to read and see the reality of the effects of divorce on children in this book at times.
Of course, it's difficult to read about the hard truths about divorce and its effects on everyone in this book, but especially on the kids. This is written from the perspective of the 12 yr old daughter of divorced parents. Justine and her little sister, Bea, have to go back and forth between her Mom and Dad's places as they live with her Mom and their Dad gets them every Wednesday night and 2nd weekend of each month. Justine's mom has very serious anxiety and has to take medication for it. Justine's mom's anxiety also manifests as a need for control and she feels that their father and older half-sister are not good for Justine and Bea so she enlists Justine to get evidence so that she can have sole custody of Justine and Bea. Justine, of course, wants to have her mother's approval, and such so she writes notes about her Dad's unfit parenting behaviors and so forth until something happens and she creates a serious and outright lie for her mother's case, and then she begins to question herself and her mother and their behavior.
Justine has to learn how to deal with the complicated relationships and family dynamics with the divorce. Then ultimately she has to learn how to get up the nerve, to tell the truth after she created the lie no matter what the consequences may be.
This is enlightening, depressing/saddening and heart-wrenching to read and see the serious side of the negative effects of divorce and these types of situations on children. It's necessary and good for kids to see and read this especially if they're going through this type of thing so they can see they're not alone. It's also good for parents to see this and realize how their actions and words etc can affect their children in this type of scenario as well.
Thanks to NetGalley and OwlKids Books/OwlKids for letting me read and review this thought-provoking and heartfelt read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed reading For the Record (which is hard to say because it's a very tough topic). It's not very often that you read about a child's point of view during a difficult divorce. I think the author did a great job at portraying Justine's feelings/obligations/struggles when it comes to putting everyone's feelings before her own. I had never heard of Parental Alienation Syndrome before reading this book, so thank you Monique Polak for bringing that to my attention and to your many reader's attention.
Thank you NetGalley and Owlkids Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.

For the Record was a thought provoking middle grade book about a child's experience with divorce. I had never heard the term parental alienation, but it is a fitting descriptor of what Justine goes through throughout the story. I am a child of divorce, though my experience was quite a bit less traumatizing. This is a well written story that I think could be helpful to a lot of children who have gone through similar circumstances.

I was drawn to this book after hearing the author speak about parental alienation. Since that is something with which I have some experience, the book was somewhat painful, as expected. It was painful watching Justine being manipulated by her mother which her father suffered the consequences, and it was painful seeing Justine feeling so torn between her parents. But I could still appreciate the story and its importance. Where things fell apart for me a bit was at the end and the much too neat resolution to the problems. Still, a story that is needed and will resonate with students.

What a sad, powerful story. My heart breaks for kids like Justine and Bea who feel caught between their parents. I would have loved to hear what happens next -- do other adults step in to make sure that the girls are safe? As a grown-up child with a similarly toxic parent, I know there are ebbs and flows of "good" behavior, and it's quite likely their mother will revert to similar patterns unless she receives help.

I really appreciate the resources included in the back of the book. Hopefully, lots of families are helped by For the Record.

Thank you to the Owlkids Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this great book. This is a story about a family going through a divorce and custody battle told from a perspective of the 12-year-old protagonist. Very realistic depiction of the custody battle and the legal system. Well-written, relevant, relatable story.

This is a dificult book to review. Justine's parents are divorced and are now trying to fight for custody. Her mom wants sole custody, and the stress is taking its toll on her. Justine wants to help her mom, so she starts taking notes on what her dad does "wrong" (rather things that her mother says are wrong). This culminates in an accusation of abuse against her father.

This book offered a realistic look into parental alienation, a very real reality for many parents. However, with the focus being so much on that, many other red flags fall through the cracks. The reader is told over and over again about how Justine's dad is not a good parent, but nothing is said about her mother, even though the emotional abuse and parentification is evident. There is no resolution or consequence to Justine telling such an egregious lie (that she knew was harmful). I spent the entire book questioning if she even cared for her dad. She cared more about not seeing her older sister than her dad. Perhaps my history gives me a different perspective on this book, but it lacked balance.

For the Record is about a girl named Justine who is struggling after the divorce of her parents. She is keeping a list of all the things her father does wrong while she and her younger sister are in his custody but she doesn't record the things her mother does wrong. Justine is convinced she has to take her mother's side to keep her mother from becoming depressed even if it means stretching the truth. Eventually Justine has to speak up about what's really going on and what she wants. This is a story about parental alienation and family relationships that would be ideal for younger middle grade readers.

This is an important story. My heart aches for the 12-year-old protagonist as she navigates the confusing family relationships in her life. It is very realistic in showing the muddiness of custody legal battles of children, and I loved seeing this in Justine's perspective.

This was a great book. A quick read. It ended sort of abruptly, but perhaps that was to emphasize how abrupt it all would have felt for the characters. Very enjoyable and gives students a perspective on something they may know very little about.

This book makes my heart hurt for all of the children out there experiencing this with their parents. I’m glad this book will be there to help them feel seen and hopefully be able to find their way through the challenges.