Just Under the Clouds - by Melissa Sarno (Paperback)

About the Book

"This is a Borzoi Book published by Alfred A. Knopf"--Title page verso.

Book Synopsis

Can you still have a home if you don't have a house? In the spirit of The Truth About Jellyfish and Fish in a Tree comes a stunning debut about a family struggling to find a place to belong.

To climb a tree, always think in threes and you'll never fall. "Two feet, one hand. Two hands, one foot," Cora's father told her when she was a little girl. Now Cora is in middle school, her father is gone, her family is homeless, and Cora has to look after her younger sister, Adare, who needs a lot of looking after.

When their room at the shelter is ransacked, Cora's mother brings them to an old friend's apartment, and Cora hopes this will be a place she can finally call home. When doubt seeps in, Cora makes an escape of her own and discovers something that will change how she sees her family and her place within it.

The beautiful debut by Melissa Sarno, the author of A Swirl of Ocean, will take root in your heart and blossom long after you've turned the last page.

"[A] heartbreaking yet hopeful story of a family searching for a place to belong." --Publishers Weekly

"[A] thought-provoking debut about the meaning of home and the importance of family." --The Horn Book Magazine

Review Quotes

"[R]ich and evocative . . . . A moving book about an all-too-common childhood experience, which is fairly uncommon in children's literature." --Booklist

"Troubling, affecting, and ultimately uplifting, from a promising debut novelist."--Kirkus Reviews

"[A] thought provoking debut about the meaning of home and the importance of family."--Horn Book Magazine

"This is a beautiful book. I loved Cora who was so warm and real. I cried over her hard life, but was thrilled over her choices. I wanted her to succeed; I wanted her to be happy. The ending of this book was wonderful; I'll never forget it." -Patricia Reilly Giff, author of Eleven

"This beautiful novel grabbed me from page one and never let go. Simply put, I loved this book. Cora and Adare wormed their way into my heart. I rooted for them, I ached for them. An incredible debut novel. I'm already a Sarno fan and can't wait to see what she does next." -Susin Nielsen, author of We Are All Made of Molecules

About the Author

Melissa Sarno is a freelance writer and editor with an MFA in screenwriting. She writes about middle-grade books for Barnes & Noble's BNkids blog and edits YA and children's book reviews for Cleaver Magazine. Read more about her at melissasarno.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @melissasarno.