Everything is fine

by Ann Dee Ellis

This could be a very depressing book and that is exactly why I think teens would like it. Every so often it is comforting to read about a fictional character whose life is sadder than your own. Precisely because it is fiction, the reader can see so clearly what can be done to resolve the central problem. If only real life were so easy.

Pick up this story of preteen Mazzy who lives alone with her severely depressed mother. Mazzy truly believes she is capable of running the household on her own. As the story moves along, see how Mazzy grows to trust a neighbor for guidance once in a while and find out what has caused her mother to retreat so far into herself.