Family Tree: Book #2 The Long Way Home

Series: Family Tree

Title: Book #2: The Long Way Home

Author: Ann M. Martin

Summary: Dana is an aspiring artist living a rich life in New York City. True to  the series name, "Family Tree", Abby, from Book #1 is her mother, and Zander is her father. Abby is very close to her Aunt Adele (Abby's sister). She also has two siblings, a twin sister and a younger brother who has Down Syndrome. Dana ends up publishing a book with Zander (she illustrated it), who is a famous author. One night, on a ferry while coming home, her father, who drinks too much quite often, had too much to drink while at a special event, and when his hat flies off of his head and into the water, he without thinking, jumps off the boat to grab it, and dies. Abby's family suddenly becomes poor and her mother works several jobs in order to keep the family in their house. Eventually, they lose their wonderful house, and they are forced to move from place to place just to survive.

Around the end of middle school for Dana, she realizes that she wants to go to an arts school in New York, so she is shipped off to live with her Aunt Adele who still resides in the city. Dana becomes distanced from her siblings and mother, and loses her relationship with them. Later, when she tries to go back to them, things do not go so well.

 

Comments: I really liked this book, but I think it was even sadder than Book #1. This series is really turning out to be deep, and I would definitely not recommend this for anyone under 10 years. The ending, for me, was really, sad (not the epilogue at the end - the end of the actual book). In fact, I was almost teary eyed (I am 12). There is so much faced in this book; death, relationships, standing out, and so much more. What the book deals with is much more low key than Book #1, but the way it is presented can make everything a bit sad or scary for some readers.

 

Complaints: I just didn't like the end of the book. It was sad, and I felt like it could've ended a bit better, but I do have to hand it to the author for creating such a shocking, dramatic ending (I am not talking about the epilogue or whatever, remember, I am talking about the ending of the actual book).

Rating: 5 star (I still liked it a lot!)