The List of Things that Will Not Change
Rebecca Stead
Mom and Dad told me about the divorce at a ‘family meeting’. I sat on the couch, between them. They didn’t look happy, and I suddenly got worried that something was wrong with our cat, Red. That they were going to tell me he was dying. But that wasn’t it.
When Bea’s parents got divorced, there were big changes for Bea, and also lots of things that stayed the same. But it’s not always easy living in two separate apartments.
When her dad announces that he and his boyfriend, Jesse, are getting married, Bea is excited that Jesse’s daughter will become the sister she’s always wanted. But as the wedding approaches, Bea’s joy is clouded by a terrible secret she has kept hidden since last summer.
Rebecca Stead’s delightful middle-grade novel about family and friendship will be loved by young readers.
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andThe List of Things that Will Not Change
‘A beautiful reminder of the importance of making mistakes, feeling feelings, and forgiving yourself.’
‘[Rebecca Stead] can see into the souls of young people.’
‘Bea’s interactions with her loving community convey particularly well-drawn dynamics that support themes of building resilience and savoring joy; together, these insightful moments layer into an affecting story of significant middle grade change.’
‘Ultimately, Bea survives, thrives, and grows as love remains constant but her world gets bigger, and readers negotiating their own changing lives will relate to her challenge and applaud her triumph.’
‘The angst and worries that middle grade readers experience are brought to life through Bea’s authentic voice in this must-read title.’
‘Difficulties with spelling, the pleasures of gummy bears, the pain of eczema, the ability to sense adult tension—we are fully present with Bea, in the rich, crisply rendered details and in her distinctive voice.’
‘Bea’s interactions with her loving community convey particularly well-drawn dynamics that support themes of building resilience and savoring joy; together, these insightful moments layer into an affecting story of significant middle grade change.’
‘An emotional character journey from a middle-grade master.’
‘Uplifting without sentimentality, timely not trendy, and utterly engaging.’
‘Celebrated award-winning author (and masterful storyteller) Rebecca Stead has written a thoroughly uplifting and positive story children will love.’
‘Stead masterfully explores the internal life of a girl going through both extraordinary and run-of-the-mill trials in a way that tells readers they are not alone in their complicated, contradictory feelings about the world.’
‘Rebecca Stead’s novel explores all the messy parts of life in a way that young readers can easily understand.’
‘Children who belong to families with two dads, or two mums, will be strengthened by this insightful portrayal of family love and children who belong to traditional families will gain an understanding of family love and the importance of friends helping each other. It is a story that demonstrates tolerance, resilience and empathy.’
‘When eight-year-old Bea’s father comes out as gay, her divorcing parents give her a notebook containing the titular list, an accounting that helps the anxious girl navigate her shifting family landscape. Newbery Medalist Stead’s knack for authentic tween voices shines through in a first-person narration that explores themes of building resilience and savouring joy.’
‘While Bea is funny and charming and insightful, she is, in that quirk that only the best writers can pull off, a real child, and her perspectives and emotions are authentic. But the adults in the book are real people too, and Stead also creates a family that feels familiar and warm without being sentimental or maudlin.’
‘A brilliant and uplifting book about the constancy of love when life is changing and getting bigger.’
