Welcome to Litsy!

When I chose this middle grade/young adult novel because it was about a cross country train trip, little did I know what a journey it would take me on. Rarely do I cry when I read fiction, but this broke me down then built me back up again as the MC survives and grows. Recommend!

Rydr is travelling in a train from California to Chicago to live with an unknown relative after her Grandma, her guardian, passed away. She carries a load of heartache and sadness with her. During the journey, her life story is revealed, friendships are formed with people she encountered on the train, and she begins to find herself. Eloquently told, some tender moments, & filled with hope.
#MiddleGradeMarch

Rydr's been bounced between her drug addicted mom & her elderly gramma. Now both are gone so she's on a cross country train ride from Palm Springs to Chicago to live with a great uncle she's never met. Feeling completely alone, Rydr learns on this multi-day journey that while family may be those related to you, it's more about people who care about you. Though Rydr feels no one cares about her, she has empathy for others.

Today was a surprise. Three people on the MRT. All reading books. The lady on the left was reading a very tattered, well-loved book. The man in the middle had a very tiny book that he had bookmarked with paperclips and seemed to know by heart really. The woman on the right had a Kindle. I wondered what they were reading.

Hiding under the dust jacket! 💜🤓

I strongly recommend this middle school novel about a thirteen-year-old coping with the effects of poverty, grief, and displacement in her life after the death of her drug-addicted single mother and then of her guardian, her grandmother. Never sappy or sentimental, the novel nevertheless packs a punch about the power of kindness and words to heal and strengthen. It also shows grit and resilience at work, while avoiding pat answers. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This. 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Pumpkin spice coffee with lovely foam art by @TheBookmarkPR barista Omar. 💜💜💜

Thirteen-year-old Rydr is on an Amtrack train bound from California to Chicago. For the last two years she's been under her grandmother's care, but now her Gramma is unable to care for her, and she's been sent to live with a relative she's never met. This is her journey.

#Truth: "Lots of things that are worth seeing aren't happy things. That's how I see it, anyway. Gramma doesn't have to see those things anymore, but I do."

Making the most of #SpringBreak

Work at becoming the person you want to be. And love yourself. Only then can you really trust your feelings and intentions of others.