Written entirely in short poems, this novel covers some pretty heavy ground- the dissolution of a family, family secrets, and mental illness. Rachel is a young adolescent who comes home to her mother packing her car to leave- her rationale makes no sense and Rachel has a difficult time understanding why she would leave. In the moment, Rachel’s father is hardly any better at explaining the situation and instead of trying, the retreats into himself. A lot of the novel is about Rachel dealing with the loss of her mother in the everyday sense- she used to make all the noise in the house, from whistling to crying, she did everything. Eventually Rachel and her father begin to interact more and spend time with one another and find that they can help each other move on past the loss. This character study is quite serious and may not be for every tween reader, but for one coming to terms with a dysfunctional family including family members suffering from mental illness, this could be an important tool for them. I would recommend this to older tweens ages 11 and up although some publications recommend for ages 9-12. Overall, the story is a sad one, but there is a glimmer of hope when Rachel begins to see that not everyone’s lives are as perfect as they seem, not everyone’s lives are normal, and that she and her father are building a pretty decent relationship.
Taylor Brown, S. (2008). Hugging the Rock. Berkeley: Tricycle Press. 170 pages. ISBN: 978-1-582-46180-9.
Ages 9-12.
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