Far from the Tree

Book Cover
Average Rating
Publisher
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Publication Date
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Language
English

Description

National Book Award Winner, PEN America Award Winner, and New York Times Bestseller!

Perfect for fans of This Is Us, Robin Benway’s beautiful interweaving story of three very different teenagers connected by blood explores the meaning of family in all its forms—how to find it, how to keep it, and how to love it. 

Being the middle child has its ups and downs.

But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—

Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.

And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.

Don't miss this moving novel that addresses such important topics as adoption, teen pregnancy, and foster care.

More Details

Contributors
Benway, Robin Author
Whelan, Julia Narrator
ISBN
9780062330628
9780062330642
9780062330635
9780062852137

Discover More

Similar Titles From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for titles you might like if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
These books have the theme "trouble at home"; and the subjects "adoption," "foster care," and "adopted children."
Told from the perspectives of multiple sympathetic characters, these realistic books invite readers into the lives and emotions of siblings in a complicated family situation. -- Rebecca Honeycutt
Adopted teen girls search for their biological families in these thoughtful and moving books told from multiple perspectives. -- Lisa Clark
Found biological family shifts the worldviews of Harper (Epic) and Grace (Far) in these moving contemporary novels. At times humorous, both books are both heartwarming and heartwrenching. -- Abby Hargreaves
These books have the appeal factors angst-filled and multiple perspectives, and they have the theme "trouble at home"; the genre "realistic fiction"; and the subjects "families," "loss," and "family problems."
You don't know me but I know you - Barrow, Rebecca
Adopted teen girls facing their own unplanned pregnancies begin to seek out answers about their birth parents and families. Grace (Tree) reconnects with her birth siblings; Audrey (You) learns of the events that led to her adoption. -- Lisa Clark
Teens discover that family isn't limited to two parents and a white picket fence in these moving, character-driven stories. Siblings separated at birth find one another in Tree. Muiriel, raised in foster care, opens up to loving attachments in Carry. -- Bethany Dietrich
These books have the appeal factors multiple perspectives, and they have the themes "trouble at home" and "teen pregnancy and parenting"; the genre "realistic fiction"; and the subjects "adoption," "teenage pregnancy," and "self-discovery."
These compelling, character-driven reads begin with teen girls giving their daughters up for adoption. In the aftermath, both Grace (Tree) and Esther (Infinite) learn their own truths about what it means to be a family. -- Stephen Ashley
Although Solo is a novel-in-verse and Far from the Tree is told in prose, both moving novels feature protagonists who have been adopted and who are coming to terms with their places in the world. -- Bethany Dietrich
While the siblings in Far from the Tree were given up for adoption and those in Homecoming were left by their mother, the relatable characters in these poignant novels struggle with feelings of abandonment and what it means to belong to a family. -- Halle Carlson
Moving and emotionally intense, these tearjerking novels feature pregnant teen girls who decide to place their babies up for adoption. Told from multiple perspectives, the stories explore love, loss, and what it means to make a family. -- Halle Carlson

Similar Authors From NoveList

NoveList provides detailed suggestions for other authors you might want to read if you enjoyed this book. Suggestions are based on recommendations from librarians and other contributors.
Readers who appreciate the believable characters and bittersweet storylines in Robin Benway's realistic fiction may enjoy Sara Zarr's novels. Both offer stories about complicated family relationships and tenuous romantic bonds with a subtle and realistic touch. While their endings are not always happy, they do feel satisfying. -- Halle Carlson
These authors' works have the appeal factors fun read, and they have the subjects "high schools," "family problems," and "teenage boy-girl relations"; and characters that are "sarcastic characters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors high-drama and multiple perspectives, and they have the subjects "teenagers," "family problems," and "fifteen-year-old girls."
These authors' works have the subjects "high schools," "family problems," and "teenage pregnancy."
These authors' works have the appeal factors well-crafted dialogue, and they have the genre "paranormal fiction"; the subjects "high schools" and "foster care"; and characters that are "sarcastic characters."
These authors' works have the appeal factors angst-filled, and they have the genre "spy fiction"; and the subjects "high schools," "teenage boy-girl relations," and "sixteen-year-old girls."
These authors' works have the appeal factors angst-filled and high-drama, and they have the subjects "high schools," "family problems," and "love."
These authors' works have the appeal factors high-drama, and they have the genre "paranormal fiction"; and the subjects "sixteen-year-old girls," "sisters," and "teenage romance."
These authors' works have the appeal factors angst-filled and multiple perspectives, and they have the subjects "adoption," "teenagers," and "high schools."
These authors' works have the appeal factors well-crafted dialogue, and they have the subjects "teenagers," "schools," and "high schools"; and characters that are "sarcastic characters."
These authors' works have the subjects "teenage spies," "high schools," and "family problems."
These authors' works have the genre "realistic fiction"; and the subjects "teenagers," "high schools," and "sisters."

Published Reviews

Booklist Review

Benway's latest is the engrossing multi-POV story of Grace, Maya, and Joaquin. Instead of dancing the night away at Homecoming, Grace is instead in the hospital, in labor with the daughter she's giving up for adoption. This life-changing moment leads her to find her biological siblings, Maya and Joaquin, and discover what contributed to their mother's decision to give them up for adoption. Maya, the youngest, was adopted into a wealthy family, but her mother's alcoholism creates tension. The eldest, Joaquin, has been in one foster home after another. At 18, he's finally found a family, but his misapprehensions about relationships jeopardize his acceptance of their love and desire to finalize an adoption. Benway plumbs emotionally weighty material with grace and some beautiful moments of self-realization, particularly when it comes to Joaquin. While some readers might wish for a deeper exploration of the three siblings' Mexican heritage and its disconnect from their adoptive families, the accessible writing and otherwise strong characterizations add to the story's appeal. Hand to fans of Sarah Dessen and Morgan Matson.--Barnes, Jennifer Copyright 2017 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Powered by Syndetics

Publisher's Weekly Review

In an equally heartwarming and heart-wrenching story, three siblings separated in infancy find each other as teens. Grace, who has always known she was adopted, first learns of her brother, Joaquin, and sister, Maya, while unsuccessfully searching for her birth mother during a tumultuous junior year. Her open-minded adoptive parents support a reunion, and the siblings' initial meeting is a success. During subsequent visits, they discover the things they have in common, as well as some painful secrets. Joaquin's childhood has not been as happy as Grace's has been, and his deep-rooted fears are affecting his current relationships. Maya's home life has become chaotic due to fights and alcohol abuse, and Grace knows firsthand how difficult it is to put a baby up for adoption. Writing in a shifting third-person narrative that is both nonjudgmental and deeply empathetic, Benway (Emmy & Oliver) delves into the souls of these characters as they wrestle to overcome feelings of inadequacy, abandonment, and betrayal, gradually coming to understand themselves and each other. Ages 13-up. Agent: Lisa Grubka, Fletcher & Company. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Powered by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 8 Up-Only child Grace was adopted at birth; when she finds herself placing her own daughter up for adoption, she begins searching for the bio family she's never known. She quickly discovers that she is a middle child, sandwiched between loudmouth younger sister Maya and older -brother -Joaquin, who has spent nearly his entire life in the foster care system. As Grace struggles to move forward from the loss of her daughter, she begins to bond with her siblings who have hardships of their own. Maya's adoptive family is not as picture-perfect as they seem, and Joaquin is on the cusp of something wonderful but is afraid it could all end in disaster. The siblings find themselves turning to one another and learning that family comes in many forms. Benway has created three unique and endearing characters who have experienced adoption in very different ways. Grace's story will pull at heartstrings, while Maya is relatable as a teen struggling with her relationships with her family and girlfriend Claire. Joaquin is scared and rough around the edges. With a well-imagined cast of secondary characters who add angst, humor, and depth, Benway adeptly leads readers through a tale of love, loss, and self-discovery. Expect to cry real tears at this one. VERDICT Well-written and accessible, this is a must-purchase for all YA collections.-Erica Deb, Matawan Aberdeen Public Library, NJ © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Powered by Syndetics

Horn Book Review

Teenagers Joaquin, Grace, and Maya are half-siblings with the same biological mother. But they don't actually meet until Grace goes looking for them (and their birth mother) after she gives up her own baby for adoption. Benway's affecting multidimensional family story unfolds via the teens' alternating third-person narrations as they learn to trust one another with the secrets of their own complicated situations. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Powered by Syndetics

Kirkus Book Review

Placing her daughter for adoption left a hole in Grace's heart; her adoptive parents can't fill it, and her birth mother's unreachablethen Grace learns she has siblings. Maya, 15, a year younger than Grace, was adopted by wealthy parents 13 months before their biological daughter, Lauren, arrived. Joaquin, nearly 18, a survivor of 17 failed foster-care placements and one failed adoption, is troubled when his current foster parents express a wish to adopt him. Grace reaches out, and the siblings soon bond. AllMaya especially, standing out in a family of redheadsare grateful to meet others with dark hair (only Joaquin identifies not as white but Latino) and weird food preferences (French fries with mayo). Still, each keeps secrets. Maya discusses her girlfriend but not her mother's secret drinking; Joaquin edits out his failed adoption; Grace, her pregnancy and daughter's birth. It hurts that her siblings have zero interest in tracking down the mom who gave them away, yet Grace persists. Chapters alternate through their third-person perspectives, straightforward structure and syntax delivering accessibility without sacrificing nuance or complexity. Family issues are neither airbrushed nor oversimplified (as the ambiguous title suggests). These are multifaceted characters, shaped by upbringing as well as their genes, in complicated families. Absent birthparents matter, as do bio siblings: when their parents separate, Lauren fears Maya will abandon her for her "real" siblings. From the first page to the last, this compassionate, funny, moving, compulsively readable novel about what makes a family gets it right. (Fiction. 13-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Powered by Syndetics

Booklist Reviews

Benway's latest is the engrossing multi-POV story of Grace, Maya, and Joaquin. Instead of dancing the night away at Homecoming, Grace is instead in the hospital, in labor with the daughter she's giving up for adoption. This life-changing moment leads her to find her biological siblings, Maya and Joaquin, and discover what contributed to their mother's decision to give them up for adoption. Maya, the youngest, was adopted into a wealthy family, but her mother's alcoholism creates tension. The eldest, Joaquin, has been in one foster home after another. At 18, he's finally found a family, but his misapprehensions about relationships jeopardize his acceptance of their love and desire to finalize an adoption. Benway plumbs emotionally weighty material with grace and some beautiful moments of self-realization, particularly when it comes to Joaquin. While some readers might wish for a deeper exploration of the three siblings' Mexican heritage and its disconnect from their adoptive families, the accessible writing and otherwise strong characterizations add to the story's appeal. Hand to fans of Sarah Dessen and Morgan Matson. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.

Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.
Powered by Content Cafe

Publishers Weekly Reviews

In an equally heartwarming and heart-wrenching story, three siblings separated in infancy find each other as teens. Grace, who has always known she was adopted, first learns of her brother, Joaquin, and sister, Maya, while unsuccessfully searching for her birth mother during a tumultuous junior year. Her open-minded adoptive parents support a reunion, and the siblings' initial meeting is a success. During subsequent visits, they discover the things they have in common, as well as some painful secrets. Joaquin's childhood has not been as happy as Grace's has been, and his deep-rooted fears are affecting his current relationships. Maya's home life has become chaotic due to fights and alcohol abuse, and Grace knows firsthand how difficult it is to put a baby up for adoption. Writing in a shifting third-person narrative that is both nonjudgmental and deeply empathetic, Benway (Emmy & Oliver) delves into the souls of these characters as they wrestle to overcome feelings of inadequacy, abandonment, and betrayal, gradually coming to understand themselves and each other. Ages 13–up. Agent: Lisa Grubka, Fletcher & Company. (Oct.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly.

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly.
Powered by Content Cafe

School Library Journal Reviews

Gr 8 Up—Only child Grace was adopted at birth; when she finds herself placing her own daughter up for adoption, she begins searching for the bio family she's never known. She quickly discovers that she is a middle child, sandwiched between loudmouth younger sister Maya and older brother Joaquin, who has spent nearly his entire life in the foster care system. As Grace struggles to move forward from the loss of her daughter, she begins to bond with her siblings who have hardships of their own. Maya's adoptive family is not as picture-perfect as they seem, and Joaquin is on the cusp of something wonderful but is afraid it could all end in disaster. The siblings find themselves turning to one another and learning that family comes in many forms. Benway has created three unique and endearing characters who have experienced adoption in very different ways. Grace's story will pull at heartstrings, while Maya is relatable as a teen struggling with her relationships with her family and girlfriend Claire. Joaquin is scared and rough around the edges. With a well-imagined cast of secondary characters who add angst, humor, and depth, Benway adeptly leads readers through a tale of love, loss, and self-discovery. Expect to cry real tears at this one. VERDICT Well-written and accessible, this is a must-purchase for all YA collections.—Erica Deb, Matawan Aberdeen Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal.

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal.
Powered by Content Cafe

Reviews from GoodReads

Loading GoodReads Reviews.

Staff View

Loading Staff View.