KYRA, JUST FOR TODAY

From award-winning author Sara Zarr comes a gorgeously crafted and deeply personal story about a young girl, her alcoholic mother, and the hope that ties them together.

Kyra has always felt like she's a bit too much. Too tall. Too loud. Too earnest. But she's okay with that, because she's got her mom. Ever since Mom got sober about five years ago, she and Kyra have always been there for each other - something Kyra is thankful for every week when she attends her group meetings with other kids of alcoholics. When Mom is managing her cleaning business and Kyra is taking care of things at home, maybe, she thinks, she's not too much. Maybe, she's just enough. Then, seventh grade starts, and everything Kyra used to be able to count on feels unsure. Kyra's best friend, Lu, is hanging out with eighth-graders and Mom is unusually distant. When Mom starts missing work, sleeping in, and forgetting things, Kyra doesn't dare say "relapse." But soon, not saying that word means not saying anything at all--to Lu or to her support group. And when Kyra suspects that her worst fears might be real, she starts to question whether being just enough is not enough at all. With sensitivity and candor, acclaimed author Sara Zarr tells a heartfelt and personal story about finding hope in the most difficult places and love even in the most complicated relationships. Sara Zarr is the acclaimed author of nine novels, including a collaborative novel with Tara Altebrando. She's a National Book Award finalist and two-time Utah Book Award winner. Her books have been variously named to annual best books lists of the American Library Association, Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, School Library Journal, the Guardian, the International Reading Association, the New York Public Library and Los Angeles Public Library, and have been translated into many languages. In 2010, she served as a judge for the National Book Award. In the academic year 2020-2021, she joined the faculty of the Seattle Pacific University Low-Residency Creative Writing MFA program.