The Other Mother: A Novel

Matthew Dicks does an outstanding job telling the story of fourteen-year-old Michael Parsons, a boy who has lost his father, has a jerk for a stepfather, and whose mother, as the title of the book suggests, has either been taken away or killed and replaced by another woman, the “other mother.” This is a coming-of-age story that starts with a boy who seems lost in his own environment. He is a good big brother to Julia and Charlie, and he loves them with all his heart. He is starting to become friends with his next-door neighbor, Sarah, who he considers to be the prettiest girl in the world. Michael has a secret though, and that secret is contained in a yellow envelope. Between the envelope and being the only person to realize that the person standing in the kitchen is not his “real mother,” Michael starts to slowly lose it.

This book offers so many topics to discuss, ranging from the children of deceased parents, to anger management, to helicopter (or the complete opposite of that) parenting. Michael must find himself and figure out who in his life he can trust. This book was heartbreaking and wonderful.