FAR FROM the TREE Nat'l Book Winner ('17) for Young Adult Lit. by Robin Benway

FAR FROM the TREE is an intelligent & affecting novel that connects three high school students. Joaquin, Grace & Maya.  All 3 knew they were put up for adoption at birth.  Grace was adopted by  loving parents with no other siblings.  When Grace becomes pregnant by her boyfriend she makes the courageous decision with the support of her parents to place her baby girl with a couple for adoption.  Grace's pregnancy makes her a social outcast at school which is nothing compared to the grief she bears for not keeping "Peach" with her.  Grace's parents maintained they'd provide her with with any information they had on Grace's biological family.  Grace is given an email for her 1/2 sister Maya and reaches out to her.  Maya has been adopted into a family with a younger biological daughter to her their parents.  Grace & Maya discover they share an older 1/2 brother Joaquin.  The 2 nearly acquainted sisters agree to try to connect with Joaquin who is amenable to meeting them.  While all 3 share the same birth mother, they're lives have taken very different tangents.  Joaquin has been living with a couple for the past 3 years who provide a very loving & supporting home & want very much to formally adopt him.  Grace & Maya have been with their adoptive families since.  The path towards a secure & caring family for Joaquin was harsh.  He changed foster homes so many time he felt rudderless & adrift.  He's built up a wall as a safety net that holds him back from becoming attached to protect him from being shattered.  Joaquin is not alone in coping with anguish.  The strained & awkward initial meetings with each other gives way to a bond of support & understanding as they grow to lean on one another.  FAR FROM the TREE offers awareness into the failings, anguish, compassion & love from foster care & adoptive families from the varied individuals impacted in addition to the child.  We empathize with Joaquin's experiences moving from family to family and not feeling permanency, always fearing he'd be traded in, swapped out, sent away.  Grace represents the sacrifice & grief she felt giving a child up for adoption.  Myah's family has its share of hardships to bear.  Together the 3 siblings form roots that entwine and thrive.  The power of having a family to fall back on is at the foundation of FAR from the TREE.  "Maya had never realized how much power there was in loving someone."   I firmly recommend this poignant and eye opening novel of what it means to be a family.