The List of Things That Will Not Change

February 1, 2020
Bea, 12, reflects on life since her parents' divorce when she was 8. Bea, who is white, tells her story in a direct, conversational tone, with age-appropriate insights. Mostly she describes interactions with family members near and far, including her parents and her father's partner, the aunt, uncle, and cousins with whom she and her parents spend an annual two-week summer vacation, and the new sister by marriage whose visit she eagerly anticipates. Glimpses of her school experiences focus on frustrations or antagonisms, like her struggle with spelling or the times that she allows her anger to spill out and cause (minor) injury to others. Stead packs in plenty of issues--divorce, therapy, a gay parent, homophobia, and a painful case of eczema--but her prose never descends to moralizing or moaning. Instead, Bea's authentic, accessible voice and smooth interweaving of anecdotes keep the tone relatively light and make for a sometimes-amusing, sometimes-poignant exploration of realistic contemporary experiences and concerns. The acknowledgements that not every problem can be solved and that doing a bad thing does not necessarily make someone a bad person will reassure readers that they too can find balance and comfort in complicated circumstances. Supported by multidimensional, sympathetic family and friends, Bea ultimately finds that her list of certainties provides the necessary foundation for personal growth--and change. Uplifting without sentimentality, timely not trendy, and utterly engaging. (Fiction. 8-12)

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Starred review from February 10, 2020
When eight-year-old Bea’s father comes out as gay, her divorcing parents give her a notebook containing “The List of Things That Will Not Change,” an accounting that helps the girl navigate her shifting family landscape. Two years later, Bea is thrilled when her restaurateur dad and his adored boyfriend, Jesse, announce their engagement; the only child has always wanted a sister, and she can’t wait to welcome Jesse’s daughter, Sonia, into the family. But Sonia, who lives in California, has complicated feelings about the situation that surface when she arrives in New York City. It’s one of many interpersonal challenges that deeply sensitive Bea—an eczema sufferer who wears her heart on her sleeve—faces that year, contributing to growing feelings of guilt and worry. Newbery Medalist Stead’s knack for authentic tween voices (“I didn’t think I could live through that moment of everyone looking at me”) shines through in a first-person narration that explores Bea’s rich inner life as she learns, with help, to manage her anxiety. Bea’s interactions with her loving community convey particularly well-drawn dynamics that support themes of building resilience and savoring joy; together, these insightful moments layer into an affecting story of significant middle grade change. Ages 8–12. Agent: Faye Bender, the Book Group.

Starred review from March 1, 2020

Gr 5-8-When 12-year-old Bea's parents first divorced two years ago, they gave her a green notebook in which they had started a list of Things That Will Not Change, with numbers one and two being "Mom loves you more than anything, always," and "Dad loves you more than anything, always." Bea takes comfort in adding to her list; it helps her understand number six: "We are still a family, but in a different way." When Bea's dad and his partner, Jesse, first announce they're getting married, Bea is thrilled-she loves Jesse, and she will finally have a real sister once they're married. Jesse's daughter, Sonia, lives across the country in California, and Bea is anxious that Sonia isn't as thrilled as she is about the prospect of new family members. Bea sees a supportive therapist, Miriam, who assists her with her anxiety, her guilt over how she reacts to stressful situations, and other obstacles she encounters daily. When Sonia comes to New York for a visit, Bea assumes that Sonia doesn't want her to be part of their new blended family. Stead masterfully captures the trials and tribulations both the girls are navigating. As the wedding planning ramps up, so do Bea's anxiety and eczema, and the potential disaster Bea may have caused by secretly inviting Jesse's estranged brother, Mission, to the wedding. Readers' heartstrings will be tugged as the wedding isn't all sunshine and happiness, and family dynamics are shown to be both powerful but sometimes flawed. VERDICT The angst and worries that middle grade readers experience are brought to life through Bea's authentic voice in this must-read title.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

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Starred review from February 1, 2020
Grades 4-7 *Starred Review* When Bea's father decides to get married for the second time, this time to another man, she is overjoyed, not only because she loves Jesse, her father's partner, but also because he has a daughter her age, and the thing Bea wants most in the world is a sister. This tale of 10-year-old Bea is narrated by her 12-year-old self, who often flashes back to earlier episodes of her life, brilliantly depicting the nonlinear storytelling mechanics of a tween mind. Indeed, Stead's greatest strength may be her understanding of the middle-grade psyche. Her work shows great respect for the complexity of children's feelings, and this remarkable book is, more than anything, about feelings. As Bea prepares for her father's wedding, attempts to forge a connection with her future sister, and worries over her single mother, she meets intermittently with a therapist, who guides Bea in self-reflective exercises describing what emotions feel like (a narrative tool used frequently, to great effect) and helps her unearth her own terrible secret, which lands in a hard-hitting twist ending. So much is tackled in this slim volume: a courteous divorce, Bea's incidental case of eczema, friendship, mental health, sisterhood, and a beautiful model of gay marriage in the face of adversity. An emotional character journey from a middle-grade master. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: It's been almost five years since Newbery medalist Stead's last solo novel, and adoration of her work is at the top of the list of things that will not change.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)