6. Find A Stranger, Say Goodbye
I come from a family of four kids and am the firstborn. Not the first kid, but the firstborn, biologically speaking. That's because I have a sister who was born 1 year and 20 days before me and who has been with our family since she was three days old. I don't think she's any less a sibling than my younger sister and brother. In fact, Claire and I look a little more alike than the other two. Because I have first-hand experience with it, I love reading stories about adoption. They all seem to have their own twists and turns because there is no such thing as an ordinary adoption. I know a family from my days in California who had four kids and adopted their cousins as soon as they were put into foster care. I know a family of 17 where only 6 of the kids are related by blood. One of the musicians I admire found that he could not have children, so adopted four special needs children. This is my second-favorite of the Lois Lowry books and I would have gone with
The Giver, except they have announced that they are making it into a movie. Natalie is a high school senior about to head off to college with a wonderful family. She has a quirky sister, a brilliant artistic grandmother and doting parents who really do want what's best for her. What Natalie wants as the future beyond high school awaits is a connection to her past. For her graduation gift, her parents present her with as much information as they have on the circumstances of her adoption. Of course she finds her birth mother and has a meaningful coming of age. The story itself is pretty good, but the characters are what make this worth reading. I am not a visual person, but Lois Lowry is very effective in painting the picture that I need for each scene. This is especially important for a book narrated by a sculptor's granddaughter and I think the prose is gorgeous.