Saving Red

Gr 9 Up—A page-turning novel in verse about loss, grief, and redemption told in the voice of a wide-eyed, naive fourteen-year-old. Molly Rosenberg has been on her own for the past year, with only her service dog Pixel to ease her loneliness and frequent panic attacks. Her formerly great mother spends her days smoking medical marijuana and watching the shopping channel, and her lawyer dad has become a workaholic. The cause of this family's psychic pain is slowly revealed through the Santa Monica teen's earnest narrative. Over winter break, Molly meets a vivacious but volatile homeless girl just a few years older than herself and becomes fixated on returning Red to her family. She is also swept up in a sweet and tender crush on Christo, a handsome potential ally, who gets whisked away by his parents to New York for the holidays. Molly exhausts her wits and her resources trying to keep Red safe, and as she gains her trust, she learns the girl's story. At the same time, Molly shares her own feelings of guilt and grief over her older brother's disappearance the previous year. In the end, the mentally ill Red gets the help she needs (clearly a long, hard path lies ahead), and all of Molly's angst and trauma are neatly resolved. This work is Frank Capra–esque in its belief in the power of love to win out against all odds and even includes a homage to It's a Wonderful Life. While addressing some serious and thorny issues, this book maintains an upbeat and hopeful tone throughout, which may indeed be its saving grace.