Finding Normal - by Stephanie Faris

About the Book

After a devastating flood, twelve-year-old Temple is relocated to a new town where she takes it upon herself to organize a fundraiser to help families affected by the flood, but soon realizes the pressure may be too much to handle alongside the other changes in her life.

Book Synopsis

Perfect for fans of Jamie Sumner and Barbara Dee, this "sincere and heartfelt" (The Horn Book) middle grade novel about friendship, belonging, and the power of community follows a girl whose family is uprooted after a flood destroys their house.

After a horrible storm floods her neighborhood, twelve-year-old Temple and her family are forced to move to a new town. They are some of the lucky ones, able to secure temporary housing relatively quickly. But Temple doesn't feel so lucky starting over at a brand-new school halfway through the year and feeling a weird spotlight on her family's situation from her new classmates. At home, things aren't any better as her family struggles to adjust while figuring out how they can afford to rebuild.

When Temple sees a flyer for a local fundraiser, she decides she can do the same thing for her family. It would get her one big step closer to her old school, friends, and life. After enlisting the help of some new friends, Temple kicks her plan into action, quickly realizing it needs to be much bigger to help not only her family, but the dozens of others affected by the flood.

But adding the pressures of the fundraiser to the strain of grappling with all the recent changes may be more than Temple can handle. As she searches for a return to normal, can she figure out what's truly important?

Review Quotes

"Sincere and heartfelt."-- "Horn Book "

"Themes of community, resilience, and youth empowerment buoy a sincere tale enriched by Faris's personal experience as a flood survivor, as discussed in an author's note."-- "Publishers Weekly"