Trusting True North

True is missing her mom, who is stuck in Canada due to the border being closed during the pandemic. Sure, True has the rest of her family, but True feels it’s up to her to keep everyone safe, especially Grandma Jo, who recently had cancer treatments, which is a lot of responsibility for a young girl. When True makes a treasure map for Georgie, they find themselves in the old barn, where they find a family of kittens and a misunderstood boy from school, Kyler, who is trying to save the kittens. True and Kyler become friends. As people around town start to get sick, True has to make some hard decisions.

Gina Linko has written a sweet story from True’s point of view as she faces the problems of schooling, family, friends, a missing parent, and more during a lockdown. Many of the youngsters reading this book will relate to the problems True has to face. The pandemic, though, does not seem to be treated as seriously as it should have been. No one gets really sick and it skirts many of the issues of this cataclysmic event. Still, for the middle-grade set, this is a good story well told.