Each Unique and Fascinating

"Heartwarming and humorous, a solid pick" --Kirkus Reviews "A touching, wise book. Adventures grandparents will enjoy" -R. J. FranklinBiology-geek Julia Water's divorced parents come and go, her career-driven mother traveling for her job, and her career-military father deploying to dangerous assignments in war zones. Julia (age 13) misses them and worries about her father being wounded or killed. In school she's a loner because to save money, Mom has moved the family so often into a cheaper place to rent in a different school district that Julia has given up trying to make friends. After school's out for the day, she wants to lose herself in expanding her "Log of Animals" to study more unique and fascinating specimens but instead must care for her sister, Belinda (age 8) and their dog, Portia, a gift from Dad.During a summer visit to her grandparents, who live on a Pacific Northwest island, Julia has adventures in which help from Gram and Papa, opinionated Belinda, and intelligent Portia teaches her that she doesn't have to solve all problems on her own. When an interesting boy with the unusual nickname "Mister Blue" arrives on the island, Julia is immersed in new adventures that force her to grapple with issues of fear, jealousy, maturing puppy love shared by Mister Blue, and bullying by local teens, whose taunt, "Your dad's coming home in a body bag," sickens her. With wry humor, an action-packed plot, and characters that come to life on every page, Each Unique and Fascinating is a rare tale of the everyday bravery of a young girl expected to deal with challenges beyond her years. Grandparents, members of military families, parents who work in dangerous professions or must often be away from their children, and those who want to encourage girls to be interested in science also find it revealing and engaging.