A road trip, family secrets and some incredible drama in Teresa Toten’s Eight Days.

Sami Stanic lives with her grandfather, Carl, in the towers in Thorncliffe Park. She is incredibly helpful, always putting others first. When a sudden phone call rocks her whole world and calls into question everything she thinks and knows about her life thus far, Sami must learn how to start to put herself first.

This story takes readers from the towers in Thorncliffe Park to the south side of Chicago and back again. There is an incredibly eclectic cast of characters and I dare you not to LOVE them all but especially Aggie! Readers learn so much about Sami and her family while road tripping in Sophie, Carl’s beautiful green 1977 Oldsmobile, and may see their own families reflected back to them. Teresa Toten pulls no punches in this story. Her characters face alcoholism and drug abuse and there is no sugar coating, there are incredibly raw moments, moments that don’t often find their way into middle grade novels. Readers learn the bad and the ugly of alcohol and drug abuse, complete with a trip to rock bottom. I think it’s incredibly important that alcohol abuse is portrayed honestly even in middle grade stories. We know that children can read about hard things and we also know it helps them gain understanding and empathy. We never know what someone’s home life looks like and a story like Eight Days can end up being vital to many young readers.

The writing gets right down and reveals some pretty hard truths. Readers will feel Sami’s anxiety and her deepest desire to keep everyone on track. She is constantly looking after Carl and Aggie. Making sure Carl isn’t drinking, making sure Aggie is comfortable since her arthritis tends to flare up. Sami is constantly looking after everyone, afraid that if she reveals her family secrets, everyone in her life will turn their backs on her. She is afraid she will lose everything.

The way that Teresa Toten writes about the incredible community around Sami helps keep this story from being a complete tragedy. Even though Carl is not shy about letting everyone in the towers know exactly how he feels about “those people”, they all come together to hold Sami and Carl in their embrace in their moment of ultimate despair.

This was a hard story to put down. I sincerely hope that many readers pick up this story. I believe that there will be many readers who will see some of their own experiences in the pages and hopefully find comfort and strength in Sami’s story.