"Gideon's life has always been uneventful and safe; he lives with his two parents, a little sister, and no adventure. He is not even allowed to cross the street on his own. That changes when Gideon's family moves from New Jersey to Nevada and he meets Roona and her mom. At first, this is a book about friendship with a touch of magical realism. As it progresses, it becomes a deeper meditation about a parent's clinical depression from a child's point of view. Well crafted and unique. Recommended. -- School Library Journal "Middle-schooler Gideon Quinton wasn't thrilled about moving with his family across the U.

S. to nowhere Nevada right at the start of summer break. When he arrives to his new neighborhood, he notices there's a girl next door about his age . and she takes him on (un-Quinton-like) wild, Hobbit-like adventures. After some trouble-making and truth-telling, he learns much more than he thinks he can handle about Roona's homelife and is stuck: break his promise to not tell his parents what's happening, or get her and her mom the help he knows they need? For the reader, especially any adult reader, this story is heartbreaking. For the young reader, it's not much easier, but Grimes wrote a story that's easy to engage with, told through a kid narrator who cares and wants to do right by everyone." -- Booklist Magazine.