". Grimes has written a novel in verse that is an enthusiastic celebration of the power of words and imagination. Always accessible, Grimes' language is vivid, rhythmic, and figurative. Grimes' words speak to the daydreamer in every reader." -- Booklist , starred review "In this delightfully spare narrative in verse, Coretta Scott King Award-winning Grimes examines a marriage's end from the perspective of a child. Throughout this finely wrought narrative, Grimes' free verse is tight, with perfect breaks of line and effortless shifts from reality to dream states and back. An inspirational exploration of caring among parent, teacher and child--one of Grimes' best." -- Kirkus Reviews , starred review " .

Grimes packs substantial emotional heft into her poems, especially the way that Gabby's parents' separation weighs on her. her poems lovingly convey the rich inner life (and turmoil) of a girl in the process of finding her voice." -- Publishers Weekly.