A review by thelibrarykart
Sure Signs of Crazy by Karen Harrington

4.0

MORE DETAILS THAN THE BOOK JACKET/BUT NO HUGE SPOILERS:

Sarah Nelson has just turned 12 and like most girls her age she is struggling with identity issues. Sadly, Sarah has a harder struggle than her peers. She is famous, actually her mother is, from being crazy. When she and her twin brother were 2 their mother tried to drown them. Sarah survived the incident, her brother did not. Because of this incident Sarah and her father have had to move every time they are recognized as "that family."

During summer break Sarah has decided to launch an investigation into her family's "big secret." She records her thoughts in her diaries and through letters to her literary hero, Atticus Finch. (I wonder how the author of this book now feels after Go Set a Watchman.) She makes new friends, has her first real crush and becomes bolder and courageous in terms of standing up to her alcoholic father.

This book has a lot of heart and deals with some non-typical big issues but underneath those layers it is really just a story of growing up. I love the progression Sarah makes as a character from the start of the novel to end where anyone would be daft not to admire Sarah's gusto.

Because this book does deal with some sensitive issues I would recommend this book to middle grade readers, grades 6th-8th.