A FAMILY FOR US

An unlikely companion helps a young girl navigate family troubles in Hunter’s middle-grade novel.

Eleven-year-old Sadie McAdams lives in the small town of Huntington, Alabama, with her older brother, Zac; her father, known simply as Coach for his role at the local high school; and her difficult, sharp-tongued mother, Olive. Just before the summer of 2008, during a school trip to a nearby swamp, Sadie discovers a tiny beaver separated from his dam. Fearing for his safety among the alligators, she hides him in her jacket, reassuring him, “You have me.” The beaver responds with a small “chirp,” and Sadie brings him home, naming him Ip. At the same time, her parents’ already toxic relationship reaches a breaking point, culminating in her father’s departure. Olive, growing increasingly volatile, demands that Sadie get rid of the animal (“We need a beaver like a cat needs pockets”), but Sadie resists, finding comfort in Ip even as her attempts to explain the situation at school devolve into chaos. As tensions escalate, Olive abandons the children to fend for themselves while she retreats to the beach, leaving Sadie to navigate her family’s collapse. Amid gossiping neighbors, suspicious authorities, and lurking hunters, Sadie must care for Ip while confronting life’s instability. Hunter has assembled all the elements of a sweet middle-grade novel, leavening the tension of a young girl’s difficult coming-of-age with the comfort of a cute animal companion. The Southern-tinged dialogue, especially in Olive’s retorts, adds color and texture to the prose. But the novel struggles to balance its tones; Olive’s harsh treatment and abandonment of her children, coupled with hints of serious trouble surrounding her father, suggest a much darker story than Hunter ultimately delivers, with a conclusion that feels too soft and easy for the borderline abuse Sadie endures. While the book has genuinely funny and endearing moments, particularly when Ip causes trouble, it never fully commits to either dark family trauma or lighthearted fun.

An engaging premise caught between charm and severity that doesn’t fully deliver on either.