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South of Somewhere

by Kalena Miller

CCBC Review:

When white, 12-year-old Mavis’s mother is accused of embezzlement, the rest of the family makes an abrupt transition from a life of luxury to small-town living. Upon returning to their upscale Chicago home after a vacation, the family finds that the FBI is already there—and Mom is already in hiding. With their bank accounts frozen, Mavis’s father takes his kids to live with his estranged sister just south of Somewhere, Illinois. Vacillating among disbelief, anger, and grief, and hoping to help alleviate their dire financial situation, Mavis finds a babysitting gig with a new friend. Meanwhile, her sister has been dismissed from her dream internship due to their mom’s notoriety, and her brother is coping by throwing himself into a new relationship. When Mavis begins receiving postcards from her mom from various tropical locations, she keeps them a secret. While she initially believes her mom has left the country, she soon suspects that the postcards are a red herring, and that her mother may be nearer than she thought. Though it stretches credibility at times, this absorbing story is firmly centered on Mavis’s emotional response and perspective. She and her family have satisfying arcs as they adjust to their new life circumstances. Privileged, wealthy Mavis and her brother and sister are far more than stereotypes, and Mavis’s judgmental views of small-town folks rapidly evolve as she settles into her new community. ©2025 Cooperative Children’s Book Center

CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 9-12
Age Range: Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10) Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format: Novel
Subjects: Change Crime Money and Finances Rural Life Secrets

Publisher: Albert Whitman
Publish Year: 2024
Pages: 282
ISBN: 9780807577141
CCBC Location: Fiction, Miller

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