Divorce

November 1, 2014
Grades 6-12 This volume in the publisher's long-established It Happened to Me series for teens facing hardships takes on divorce and its many ramifications. In her usual straightforward style, Gay addresses the gamut, from unhappy home life before divorce through custody matters, postdivorce lifestyle and living arrangements, and reflections by adults who lived in divorced families in their teen years. Gay covers a wide array of circumstances as well, including the legal and social realities affecting the children of divorced same-sex couples, youth with incarcerated or otherwise long-absent parents, and stepfamilies. Informative sidebars get into detail about specific situations, such as learning household finances, and a helpful list of resources, including many websites offering creative outlets and practical advice, is included. Though the photos are occasionally stiff and staged and guidance for determining whether a website is credible would have been a helpful addition, this volume nonetheless will offer plenty of help for those interested in reaching out to kids suffering through a divorce as well as enterprising teens seeking out resources on their own.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)