I Can Make This Promise - Christine Day

I really like thoughtful middle reader books that tackle hard issues. In I Can Make This Promise, Edie has always known she's different, because as someone who is half native, she is constantly asked "where she comes from." I can't imagine the kind of fatigue this puts on people merely for looking different. I like that the book starts with this premise. Of a kindergartner being reminded she looks different from everyone else, and from her teacher no less.

Fast forward to a twelve year old Edie, who is a budding artist with a couple of close friends and a desire to know more about her heritage. Unfortunately, the native side is tied up with her mom's own personal history. A history that involves adoption. Edie accidentally finds a box in the attic which contains some things pointing to her ancestry. She's reluctant to ask her parents about it, certain they are keeping secrets. She's egged on by a less than helpful friend who has some bad ideas about a summer movie project and some worse ideas about the kinds of things that you should keep from your parents.

This unfolds into some erratic behavior by Edie and an eventual resolution with her parents. This middle reader book helps the reader feel a little concerned for Edie but never truly scared regarding her parent's love for her. It's a good mix of independence but also reliance on those relationships which help explain new, more adult concepts. Including painful government practices that led to the removal of native children from their families.

Adult readers may find Edie a little too perfect of a child and her parent's motive a little too serving of the plot structure, but I think it's a great presentation for a middle reader.

4/5 Stars