Worried that she is as mentally ill as her mother, twelve-year old Sarah looks to To Kill A Mockingbird for stability.

A heartwarming and touching story about growing up in a family touched by mental illness.

A 12 year old girl, Sarah, was 2 years old when her mother tried to drown her. This books tells of how Sarah and her father learn to cope with the aftermath. The story is heartbreaking. The writing is superlative. I recommend this for adults and teens. Although the style of writing suits Grade 5 and up, the issues might be heavy for a younger audience. PS. Don't waste your time on the adult prequel to this story, Janeology, which deals with the father's trial. Sure Signs of Crazy is light years better.

Karen Harrington did an absolute fantastic job of writing a 12 year-old narrator. There's a fine balance in showing the naivete of a preteen, but at the same time capturing the way children often know more than you'd think. In a lot of ways Sarah reminds me of Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird. I'd say this is likely on purpose, as Sarah confides in Atticus Finch through letters. She's a little older than Scout was I think, but she still captures that sort of heartbreaking quality as she says things that show horrible events...but she says them in such a funny manner and with such a blunt focus that you're torn between laughter and feeling sort of horrified! Sarah is probably the most sincere narrator I've come across in modern literature.

The only criticism I have is that Charlotte, Sarah's babysitter, acts less like someone in her 20's and more like someone who is sixteen. Read this. This is easily in my top 10 books for the year. Maybe even top 5? In any case. I repeat: read this! For the full review, head to my blog at OboeChica Books (so long and thanks for all the fish).

I really enjoyed Sarah Nelson's voice as she grew and changed during the course of one summer. She is dealing with such difficult circumstances and yet her voice seems very realistic, very believable. An excellent read for teens dealing with mental illness in their family.

Interesting tidbit: Karen Harrington wrote an adult book about the same characters, focussing on the father.