Between Mom and Jo

by Julie Anne Peters

Overview

A heartfelt family story from National Book Award finalist Julie Anne Peters.

Nick has a three-legged dog named Lucky, some pet fish, and two moms who think he's the greatest kid ever. And he happens to think he has the greatest moms ever, but everything changes when his birth mom and her wife, Jo, start to have marital problems. Suddenly, Nick is in the middle, and instead of having two moms to turn to for advice, he has no one.

Nick's emotional struggle to redefine his relationships with his parents will remind readers that a family's love can survive even the most difficult times.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316024839
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	12/17/2007
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Lexile:	470L (what's this?)
File size:	566 KB
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Julie Anne Peters is the critically acclaimed author of Define "Normal," Keeping You a Secret, Pretend You Love Me, Between Mom and Jo, She Loves You, She Loves You Not..., It's Our Prom (So Deal With It), and Luna, a National Book Award finalist. 

Editorial Reviews

Nick, 14, tells his story in flashbacks, revealing what it was like growing up with his two moms-and watching their relationship fall apart. Peters's (Luna) novel is much more than a story about a gay family. While Nick and his mothers do deal with discrimination (his third-grade teacher does not hang up the family picture he drew, for example), they have all too normal troubles as well, such as Jo's alcoholism, Erin's breast cancer, and eventually Erin's budding relationship with another woman. The author draws the protagonists as full-blooded characters, and readers will likely find it easy to relate to them. Jo struggles to hold down a job, but rescues animals and ferociously protects Nick (after some fifth-graders tease the then-kindergartner about his family, she stands at the school fence for a week, "posturing like a tough guy"). Erin, meanwhile, resents being the responsible one, yet she still gets drafted into the family's watermelon seed-spitting contest. When Nick learns of their separation, his "heart rips. A black hole opens up." Readers may have trouble believing that Erin, Nick's biological mother, would prevent him from seeing Jo after they split up, but overall, they will touched by this story about the struggles of a realistically flawed family. Ages 12-up. (May) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 7 Up-Nicholas Nathaniel Thomas Tyler has four first names and two mothers.As the only child in his class with gay parents, he endures the taunts and prejudices of classmates and adults over the years as best he can, drawing reassurance and strength from his parents. Challenges nearly overwhelm him, though, when their relationship ends; Jo moves out, and Nick, now a teenager, is left with Erin, his birth mother. Peters captures the voice of an adolescent sorting through the memories of his childhood in poignant prose that rings with truth. As Nick develops from a boy to a young man, he must address his own sexuality, his ties to his family, and his need to assert his individuality. This novel is a timely exploration of the struggles faced by same-sex couples and their children, and while the issues are significant, the story is never overwhelmed by them. Because Jo lacks biological or legal relationship to Nick, he can be cut off from her with no recourse, which makes his experience slightly different from that of other children of divorcing parents. This coming-of-age novel powerfully portrays the universal pain of a family breakup. It also portrays what is still a "weird" situation to many people (as reflected in the behavior of Nick's babysitter) as totally normal from one young man's point of view.-Beth Gallego, Los Angeles Public Library, North Hollywood Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

After his two mothers' marriage ends in divorce, 14-year-old Nick recalls key moments from his rocky childhood. Age three: screaming in the emergency room, a chin gash bleeding down his shirt, while mother Jo goofs around trying to make him laugh. Kindergarten: being called "Dickless Nicholas" when older kids hear about his lesbian moms. Third grade: Jo sarcastically confronting a homophobic teacher while Mom and Nick, horrified, try to drag her away. Age 13: Jo and Mom splitting up, Jo leaving behind a crushed and desolate Nick. Bitterness spirals into despair-Nick lets his beloved fish die and cuts his knuckles with a knife-until Mom allows him to go live with Jo. The narrative voice doesn't vary with Nick's age. However, Nick's need for Jo is palpable, despite-or because of-their gruff, unorthodox, rough-and-tumble love. An un-romanticized look at divorce and parent-child relationships, as well as an addition to the tiny canon about gay parents. (Fiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews