The Deepest Blue - Tapa dura

"Justesen hits the emotional points perfectly, using first-person narration to reveal Mike's impressive powers of observation and his puzzlement over his own unfamiliar behavior. Teens...will be drawn into Mike's struggle to keep going after death has changed everything."--Kirkus Reviews "Readers will find themselves drawn into the struggle and rooting for Mike as he faces these challenges."--ALAN Review Praise for Kiss, Kiss, Bark!: "Mattie's a funny, compassionate narrator." - EW.com

Mike hasn't spoken to his mother in years, and what few memories he has of her are painful. When Mike's dad is killed in a car wreck, Mike wants to stay in his hometown and live with Maggie, his dad's girlfriend, who has been like a mother to him for the last five years. But Mike's mother reappears in his life and demands that he return to her custody and live on the other side of the country with a family he doesn't know. The law is on his mother's side, and Mike will have to grow up quickly and take on the legal system to have the life he wants. This deeply moving story of a young teen's difficult family relationships reflects the reality of many children and teens with strong emotional ties to adults who have no legal rights in the instance of death or divorce.