The Perfect Place

Treasure and her little sister, Tiffany, are woken in the middle of the night. Their mother sneaks them out of the apartment and into their car, leaving much behind. Their father has left again and Mom needs to find him. She takes the girls to their Great-Aunt Grace in North Carolina. Treasure almost immediately nicknames Great-Aunt Grace GAG, although she would never say it to her face. Treasure finds herself in another new place after a series of moves and takes a defensive stance, not allowing herself make new friends or letting down her guard. The one person who tries to befriend Treasure becomes her associate, so Treasure doesn’t have to open to an important relationship. As time goes on, GAG shows herself to be a true ally to the girls, and Treasure learns a lot about family, friendship, and love.

Teresa E. Harris has written an absolute gem of a middle-grade book that deserves to reach a much wider audience. The writing is stellar and original. Harris’s metaphors are the freshest I’ve seen. The characters are well-rounded and endearing, the story moves at a good clip and is most satisfying. Do not miss this terrific book.