Courage for Beginners

Courage for Beginners
Karen Harrington
Little, Brown and Company, 2014. 289 p.

One of the books that I really liked last year was Mayday by Karen Harrington (see a great review by another Provo City librarian here). So when I discovered that she had written another book called Courage for Beginners a few years ago, I was excited to read that one.

In this book Mysti Murphy has a lot to deal with. She is worried about school, friends, and all the sort of things that most normal twelve-year-olds need to deal with; however, she is also really concerned about things at home. Her little sister is somewhat annoying, her dad is in the hospital, and her mother has a secret—she is agoraphobic and never leaves the house. In other words, Mysti has to take care of the family. Only she is twelve. And her best friend is being a jerk—big time. And how can she get to the store to buy food for her family when she is a kid and can’t drive?

This book has so many big questions as to how Mysti will cope with everything. But it also has a lot of heart. Mysti is one of those girls who have a lot of heart and are a solid friend (even when others aren’t deserving of her trust). Seriously, this is a good book!

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