(2) Waiting to Forget

Title: Waiting to Forget by Sheila Kelly Welch
Publisher: Namelos
170 Pages
Genre: YA

Synopsis: T.J. has always looked out for his little sister, Angela. When Momma used to go out and leave them home alone, he'd lock the door so they'd be safe, keep Angela entertained, and get out the cereal and milk for her. When Momma's boyfriend got angry at them, he'd try to protect Angela. Later, at their foster homes, T.J. was the only one who knew how to coax his little sister out of her bad moods. The only one who understood why she made origami paper cranes and threw them out the window. But now T.J. is sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, wondering if Angela, unconscious after a fall, will ever wake up. Wondering, too, if he will ever feel at home with his and Angela's new parents—Marlene, who insists on calling him Timothy, and Dan, who seems to want a different son. Going back and forth between Now and Then, weaving the uncertain present with the painful past, T.J.'s story unfolds, and with the unfolding comes a new understanding of how to move forward.

Review: What you didn't know about foster kids before they became foster kids.  TJ and Angela's mom just can't seem to cope with having two kids.  She relies on unreliable men to get her through and when that falls apart she stands on her own for a few moments before falling back into her pattern.  Now TJ and Angela are in a new home, a permanent adoptive home but TJ isn't sure how he feels about that. As his sister is cared for in the emergency room after a fall TJ goes through his life book and reflects back on his 12 years of life.  This is a great book for parents of foster kids, or parents who are adopting from the foster system.  It is also an excellent book for children in foster care or foster to adopt situations since it shows that the conflicting emotions about birth parents are normal.  This is a great book for understanding what might be going on in the mind of a child whose only past experience of family has been one of upheaval and let down.

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