Eat, Read, and Be Mommy

Years ago, when I was reading All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team aloud with my second girlie, she (and to a lesser extent my husband, who was in the room and–apparently–listening) begged me not to leave those boys in the cave while she went off to whichever church camp was coming up. We therefore read something like 90 pages in one night to finish it up (me butchering Thai names the whole way, I’m sure), which left my voice slightly the worse for wear. Now that girlie is 16, and while she still enjoys reading with me (which makes my heart happy), she’s as busy as only a junior in high school can be. We started reading Kate O’Shaughnessy’s The Wrong Way Home together months ago, but she’s been so busy she hasn’t felt up to reading in quite some time. I’m just grateful for Christmas break, because we both made the effort to read more than once while she was out of school, and on Monday night we staged another reading marathon to finish before the break was over. (She went back today, but last night she worked and had dance.) Some 70-odd pages later, we’re done with The Wrong Way Home, and if we do manage to start something else before the school year is over, it’s going to be much, much shorter–or perhaps a collection of short stories.

In the meantime, O’Shaughnessy’s novel makes for the third of 2025’s five Newberys that I’ve managed to finish before 2026’s get announced. (I suppose I could theoretically manage another one before the ALA Broadcast on the 26th, but that’s extremely unlikely to happen.) All three have been excellent but distinct from each other; The Wrong Way Home is contemporary, unlike most of Across So Many Seas, and the nature of Fern’s conflict is entirely different from Magnolia Wu’s. Fern’s mother has just taken Fern from the Ranch–an off-the-grid community in New York lead by the magnetic Dr. Ben, where they’ve lived for half of Fern’s life–across the country to Driftaway Beach, California, and Fern is horrified. How could her mother have taken them away from their home? She wants nothing so much as to get back to the Ranch and Dr. Ben, but since she doesn’t know its address or his last name, that’s going to be a difficult thing to manage. As she perseveres toward her goal, however, the outside world begins to seem not quite so awful of a place, and she begins to listen to what her mother is telling her about the ‘home’ they left behind. Is going back still truly what she wants?

I have to say, O’Shaughnessy does an impressive job with Fern’s painful journey from unquestioning belief to a broadening view of the world. The characters around her feel fully drawn and real and her dilemma emotionally fraught, which makes for a powerful (although frequently uncomfortable) read. The ending, however, is both compelling and satisfying; overall, The Wrong Way Home is an unforgettable reading experience.

You’ll have to tell me what you think of it.

In the meantime, the kiddos are back in school and I’ve run my errands and taken my walk for the day. I have PTA business tomorrow and Friday–I had it this morning as well–so wish me luck with my chores for the week!