Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Wry humor and sharp insight capture the distinctive voice of a young teen forced by his mother’s unstable mental health to recalibrate his outlook and build a new life with found family. For fans of Gary D. Schmidt and Rebecca Stead.
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Quagmire Tiarello prides himself on not needing anything from anybody. Sure, his mom is skipping work again and showing signs of going into one of her full-out spins, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. He’s used to her up-and-down moods, even if this time it feels a little different.
Then his mom disappears, and Quag must find shelter with an uncle he didn't know he had. Should he come clean about his mother’s mental health challenges? Or can he use his carefully honed skills to bluff long enough to find his mom and get home? Readers will root for Quag as he finds himself rethinking his world and learning to accept help from the people who love him.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Blunt and compassionate characterizations personify this emotionally wrenching story by Larsen (Playing Through the Turnaround). Fourteen-year-old Quagmire Tiarello delights in having no specific plans for summer break until his crush Cassie recruits him as Foley guy for a radio play she's working on. He's thrown off-kilter when his mother's mental health takes a turn that's worse than any previous development: mom can be unpredictable when she's "having one of her spinning days." Soon, she ends up missing work, vandalizes a library garden, and disappears for a few days. Reticent Quag—who's accustomed to taking care of and covering for his mom—knows he can't tell anyone what's going on, not even Cassie. Upon his mother's return, she insists that they drive three hours to get a hot dog "with all the works." Quag is certain he can eventually direct her toward home, but their road trip takes a series of unsettling twists. Intermittent chapters featuring bird observations and audio file sound bites seamlessly connect numerous plotlines while adding texture to this gorgeously written story that centers a teen yearning for stability and support. An author's note concludes. The cast reads as white. Ages 8–12.
