This is a lovely story. The main character is mainly dealing with the uncertainty of her mother's upcoming wedding and her stepfather and stepsisters. This will be relatable to so many young readers. She's also dealing with familiar friend problems and other issues of self-identity. I loved the way threads of gardening and baking and favorite books were woven through the verse to make it all feel fresh.

I recently got my hands on a review copy of Macy McMillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green. I adored her last verse novel: Root Beer Candy and Other Miracles, so reading this one was a no-brainer.

I fell for Macy instantly. I have been a tween girl with a mom about to remarry. I remember all of the conflicting emotions, wanting Mom to be happy, not liking or disliking the soon-to-be-stepfather so much as not knowing how things were going to change and hadn’t they changed enough already for crying out loud?

Macy is a child thrust into the need for mature adult emotions and decisions. Her best friend and her mother seem unconcerned, though we know they do love Macy. She simply hasn’t done the best job of communicating her feelings clearly, which is the case for most early teen girls and boys. Emotions are difficult for adults to communicate and understand, so imagine trying to figure them out at thirteen.

The theme of communication struggles is symbolized by Macy’s loss of hearing. She uses sign language to communicate and not everyone signs. Even those who do sign aren’t as fluent as her mother, and her mother is the person she is having the most struggle communicating with. I think this illustrates that even when we understand the words (or signs) another person is giving us, that doesn’t mean we always understand the meaning behind those words (or signs).

As for the rainbow goddess, well, it’s no secret I adore relationships between kids/teens and the elderly. I love to read and write them. I had plenty of them when I was a kid. My favorite church small group as an adult has included women ages 26 (that was me) to 80. People of different ages learn from one another, and I love love love love that.

Everything about this book was wonderful. It’s a novel to share with your child, to read while eating warm cookies with cold milk, to pass onto a friend…