Kyra, Just for Today

by Sara Zarr

On Sale: 03/05/2024

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Kyra, Just for Today

by Sara Zarr

On Sale: 03/05/2024

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Amazon Indigo

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About the Book

From award-winning author Sara Zarr comes a gorgeously crafted and deeply personal story about a young girl, her alcoholic mother, and the hope that ties them together.

Krya has always felt like she’s a bit too much. Too tall. Too loud. Too earnest. But she’s okay with that, because she’s got her mom. Ever since Mom got sober about five years ago, she and Kyra have always been there for each other—something Kyra is thankful for every week when she attends her group meetings with other kids of alcoholics. When Mom is managing her cleaning business and Kyra is taking care of things at home, maybe, she thinks, she’s not too much. Maybe, she’s just enough.

Then seventh grade starts, and everything Kyra used to be able to count on feels unsure. Kyra’s best friend, Lu, is hanging out with eighth graders, and Mom is unusually distant. When Mom starts missing work, sleeping in, and forgetting things, Kyra doesn’t dare say “relapse." But soon not saying that word means not saying anything at all—to Lu or to her support group. And when Kyra suspects that her worst fears might be real, she starts to question whether being just enough is not enough at all.

With sensitivity and candor, acclaimed author Sara Zarr tells a heartfelt, personal story about finding hope in even the most difficult places, and love in even the most complicated relationships.

Critical Praise

"Informative and validating, this story is all the more powerful for Kyra’s first-person narration, which underscores her love for her mother and her desire to take care of her, as well as her confusion as she confronts feelings of guilt, resentment, and anger. For anyone affected by an alcoholic family member, this story will resonate with searing truth. — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“This tender middle-grade novel underscores the beauty of uncertainty and having enough faith in one another to try over and over again.” — Booklist

“Raw and believable. Zarr shines a harsh light on a child’s experience growing up in a family affected by alcoholism. For readers in similar situations, that light may offer an essential ray of hope.” — School Library Journal