The List of Things that Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

Summary from Goodreads:

After her parents' divorce, Bea's life became different in many ways. But she can always look back at the list she keeps in her green notebook to remember the things that will stay the same. The first and most important: Mom and Dad will always love Bea, and each other.

When Dad tells Bea that he and his boyfriend, Jesse, are getting married, Bea is thrilled. Bea loves Jesse, and when he and Dad get married, she'll finally (finally!) have what she's always wanted--a sister. Even though she's never met Jesse's daughter, Sonia, Bea is sure that they'll be "just like sisters anywhere."

As the wedding day approaches, Bea will learn that making a new family brings questions, surprises, and joy.

Review:

It’s weird how some books take me weeks to read now, and some books I just fly through. I flew through this middle grade book. It doesn’t hurt that the book was only 215 pages…but more than that, I just really clicked with Bea. Something about her level of worrying, or let’s be real and call it what it actually is: anxiety, just super appealed to me right now.

Bea worries about a lot of things. She worries about her cousin. She worries about her projects at school. She worries about her parents. She worries about how strongly she reacts to things (like when she got really worked up and kicked a glass bottle and had to miss school because of the injury).

I love the positive portrayal of therapy in this book. Bea’s weekly sessions genuinely help her understand how to handle her strong emotions. Also, Stead is just one of those writers who gets it. She gets how kids think. She knows what kids feel strongly about, and what they might not understand. She even knows what they might understand better than adults.

There’s so many little details in this book that make it more authentic. I love that the mother is a terrible cook. And that not everyone in the world is just magically accepting of Bea’s father’s gay wedding. I love that things aren’t sugar coated and not everything is magically resolved with the non-accepting family member. I like that there’s adults who will be honest with Bea, and adults who don’t think Bea’s ready to hear it. I wonder if kids reading this book would appreciate all these little nuances as much I do, reading this as an adult…I do think kids would relate to Bea.

Underneath everything, this is a book about love. It’s about how the world can be crazy and everything can change really quickly, but your family will always love you. And that will be something that will not change. And honestly, who doesn’t need to hear this message right now? I give this one a 9/10.