This is the story of Kyra, whose mom is a recovering alcoholic. She is dealing with her best friend Lu, finding another group of friends. Her mom is constantly working, because she is a single parent and running her own cleaning business. Kyra goes through a lot in this story, but luckily she has a support group in ALA-Non and her friends.

This book dealt with a lot of topics around alcoholism. It was very well done. I really enjoyed this book! This one should be on everyone’s must read!

4.5 stars

Sara Zarr is out here reminding us yet again why she is an absolute star in the worlds of YA and middle grade contemporary. The brutal and heartrending focus this time? Alcoholism.

Kyra, the titular m.c., is the tallest girl in her middle school grade but she feels like the least important presence in her small household, which is made up of just her mom and her. Tough parts about this include that Kyra is only 13, there's no one to help when her mom isn't doing great, and her mom is an alcoholic who is sometimes in recovery and sometimes experiencing a relapse. Readers get a very, very close view into Kyra's deepest thoughts, and this also helps Zarr make us feel Kyra's pain and uncertainty when her mom's behavior shifts. She's worried, and so are we. We are all right to be worried.

Along with her challenging home life, Kyra has typical middle school issues including changing relationships with friends, concerns about her body, and worries over how others perceive her. Zarr juxtaposes Kyra's difficulties at school and home with the stability of Group, which is clearly a nod to Alateen. The scenes at Group are some of the most powerful in the novel, and those are going to change the lives of so many young readers who also get to realize that they are not alone.

I read a lot of middle grade and YA and very much enjoy teaching college courses on these works, and I can say enthusiastically that this is one I'm really looking forward to recommending to students. It's one of the more realistic and age-appropriate depictions of alcoholism I've seen in a long time, and as a person with many years of sobriety under my belt (not taking a single day of that for granted), I feel especially critical of works that cover this topic. As anyone familiar with her work may expect, Sara Zarr does it exceptionally well.

This isn't a joyful read, but it's a hopeful one filled with appropriate realism, and I loved it. I'm always excited to see what Zarr will come up with next.

This book is about relationships. It talks about some heavy topics but in the end it comes down to hope and relationships. It is a more somber book but I enjoyed it.

“Kyra, Just for Today” by Sara Zarr is a heartfelt, gutting portrayal of a parent relapsing in their sobriety. Kyra is a 13 year old who lives alone with her mom who is five years sober. Kyra is realizing though that not everything is fine at home. Her mom has relapsed. Not only does Zarr give an authentic look at a difficult parent-child relationship, but she gives power to Kyra’s voice as she wrestles with not only wanting her mom back, but actually having a parent, not feeling like she is the parent herself. Kyra’s trajectory of wanting things to feel normal again to realizing that what she thought was normal was in fact not okay is striking and powerful. While meant for middle-grade readers this book will be deeply moving for anyone who is healing from family trauma.

This story is about a young girl whose mother is an alcoholic, written with sensitivity and grace. Zarr does not demonize anyone but instead, invites the reader to appreciate the nuance of hope and love found in relationships between imperfect people. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

An excellent book showing the loneliness and confusion Kyra feels as she wonders if her mom has started drinking again. Kyra is also dealing with her best friend hanging out with new friends and feeling left out. Kyra helps her mom with her cleaning jobs, but things seem off when she keeps coming home late. When Kyra gets burned while cooking and tries to call mom for help, she doesn’t answer. Kyra gets help from friends but wonders where is mom and will she be okay?