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Rabbit Rabbit
To rebuild their broken family, a pair of audacious tween cousins must confront the long-buried secrets that destroyed it in this upper middle grade novel told from dual perspectives.
Twelve-year-olds Alice and Bee are practically strangers when their grandparents’ anniversary party reunites their estranged families and ignites their own fast friendship.
But their reunion doesn’t last long—Bee’s mother and grandfather are dead set on keeping the liberal Seattle faction of the family away from the conservative Minnesota crew. “It’s complicated,” the grown ups tell them over and over (and over!) again.
Bee and Alice grow closer despite their geographical distance, determined to keep their friendship going—and to uncover the big family secret. What happened all those years ago, and why did it tear their family apart?
Just when they've started to make progress, the COVID pandemic strikes. Bee and Alice watch as the world shuts down and their loved ones grow further divided along their fractured lines. Somehow, it’s up to the twelve-year-olds to clean up the mess that the grown ups have made.
This powerful, timely story cuts deep, touching on recent historic events and intimate family details alike. With an age-appropriate approach, Rabbit Rabbit tackles religion, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and other juicy stuff you're not supposed to talk about at Thanksgiving.
Readers will fall headfirst for Alice and Bee as the unforgettable tweens make space for their friendship and shifting identities while standing up to their far-from-perfect family, with all the love and grace they can muster.
Twelve-year-olds Alice and Bee are practically strangers when their grandparents’ anniversary party reunites their estranged families and ignites their own fast friendship.
But their reunion doesn’t last long—Bee’s mother and grandfather are dead set on keeping the liberal Seattle faction of the family away from the conservative Minnesota crew. “It’s complicated,” the grown ups tell them over and over (and over!) again.
Bee and Alice grow closer despite their geographical distance, determined to keep their friendship going—and to uncover the big family secret. What happened all those years ago, and why did it tear their family apart?
Just when they've started to make progress, the COVID pandemic strikes. Bee and Alice watch as the world shuts down and their loved ones grow further divided along their fractured lines. Somehow, it’s up to the twelve-year-olds to clean up the mess that the grown ups have made.
This powerful, timely story cuts deep, touching on recent historic events and intimate family details alike. With an age-appropriate approach, Rabbit Rabbit tackles religion, sexuality, bodily autonomy, and other juicy stuff you're not supposed to talk about at Thanksgiving.
Readers will fall headfirst for Alice and Bee as the unforgettable tweens make space for their friendship and shifting identities while standing up to their far-from-perfect family, with all the love and grace they can muster.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published April 15, 2025
6 people are currently reading
3011 people want to read
About the author
Dori Hillestad Butler
70 books138 followersDori Hillestad Butler is an American author of more than 40 children's books, as well as magazine stories, plays and educational materials. Her first book, The Great Tooth Fairy Rip-Off, was published in 1997. She is known particularly for The Truth about Truman School, a 2008 young adult title focusing on the subject of cyber bullying, and for My Mom's Having a Baby (illustrated by Carol Thompson), which in 2011 appeared on the American Library Association's list of most commonly challenged books in the United States for its portrayal of conception and childbirth. Her 2010 mystery title, Buddy Files: Case of the Last Boy, won the 2011 Edgar Award for the best juvenile mystery published in 2010. Before becoming a children's author, Butler worked for three years as a page at a library.
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February 15, 2025“It took forever to get here.”
Such an understatement. I cannot possibly rate this book. I legitimately could not put it down, because it is so true to life. I love the idea of there being hope for a new generation, and the portrayal of things that happened during the pandemic and BLM movement were incredibly accurate feeling. I also thought it was so cool to see cousins willing to apologize to each other, despite the fact that their moms could not find a way to forgive each other, and the generation older than that couldn’t even think about having a conversation about issues they had. I hope we are getting better with time. I hope the generations after us can learn from the mistakes we’ve all made.
I’m struggling with the marketing of this book. I have an advanced copy, and it says it’s geared toward 10 through 14-year-olds. Well, I think that our kids can handle a lot, this book is tough. There’s lots of mentions of sperm and abortion is a big issue in it, and a picture of the 10-year-olds who come visit our library and ask for a Dog Man repeatedly… (and I love Dog Man - that’s not the issue here.)
I just really really think a 10-year-old with struggle with this book. I think they’d be left with so much confusion and so many questions. Gearing this towards middle grade kids when the two main characters are 12 but easily act 14 or 15 was an interesting choice, and I sadly think this will not find itself in the right hands because of it.
Also: reading this directly after finishing Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (an adult book that I highly recommend) was absolute crazy timing. I’m quite fired up, between a few of the horrific characters in that book and the ignorant Grandpa in this book. But that goes to show it was good writing, right? :-)
Such an understatement. I cannot possibly rate this book. I legitimately could not put it down, because it is so true to life. I love the idea of there being hope for a new generation, and the portrayal of things that happened during the pandemic and BLM movement were incredibly accurate feeling. I also thought it was so cool to see cousins willing to apologize to each other, despite the fact that their moms could not find a way to forgive each other, and the generation older than that couldn’t even think about having a conversation about issues they had. I hope we are getting better with time. I hope the generations after us can learn from the mistakes we’ve all made.
I’m struggling with the marketing of this book. I have an advanced copy, and it says it’s geared toward 10 through 14-year-olds. Well, I think that our kids can handle a lot, this book is tough. There’s lots of mentions of sperm and abortion is a big issue in it, and a picture of the 10-year-olds who come visit our library and ask for a Dog Man repeatedly… (and I love Dog Man - that’s not the issue here.)
I just really really think a 10-year-old with struggle with this book. I think they’d be left with so much confusion and so many questions. Gearing this towards middle grade kids when the two main characters are 12 but easily act 14 or 15 was an interesting choice, and I sadly think this will not find itself in the right hands because of it.
Also: reading this directly after finishing Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller (an adult book that I highly recommend) was absolute crazy timing. I’m quite fired up, between a few of the horrific characters in that book and the ignorant Grandpa in this book. But that goes to show it was good writing, right? :-)
January 12, 2025
Alice and Bee are cousins who barely know one another due to past family drama. Bee has grown up in an extremely conservative family in small town Minnesota headed by her borderline abusive grandfather. Alice has grown in a mixed faith, liberal, and social activist family in Seattle. The two girls have dim memories of each other, but have not seen each other for years when they meet again at their grandparents' 50th anniversary. While their families continue to be in conflict over a past mysterious argument, the two girls hit it off and maintain a text-based friendship after the visit and during the COVID pandemic which ultimately claims the life of their beloved grandmother. Tragic as their grandmother's death is, it serves as a catalyst for their mothers to reunite after decades of strife.
The book is interesting but at times veers into preachiness that will be off putting to some readers. The hardcore conservative contingent of the family (Bee's mother and grandfather) rarely rise above stereotypes. While the impact of the grandfather's verbal abuse is described, including at one point a brief reference to Bee's mother cowering behind him while he shouts at Bee, his behavior is never described as abuse or even really questioned beyond it's bigoted content. Bee ultimately pushes back against his sexism, homophobia, and racism, but his verbal violence towards his family is left uncommented on by all characters and the narrators, as if abuse and adults living in terror of one another is a normal feature of conservative homes. Even the overall pitch that the family is divided by political beliefs feels a bit false, as the real reason the family stopped communicating is that
The COVID-19 pandemic, on other hand, is expertly captured. The claustrophobia of those horrible months are rendered truthfully and realistically, as is the persistent unsettling fear and uncertainty. The book also does a wonderful job of demonstrating how the pandemic experience was not universal, with the level of omnipresent concern and fear varying from community to community. The harrowing nature of palliative care during the early pandemic is also expertly drawn and while the scene involving the girls' grandmother's death is brief, caution may be warranted for either generally sensitive readers or those who experienced similar losses during the pandemic as it may be triggering.
The book is interesting but at times veers into preachiness that will be off putting to some readers. The hardcore conservative contingent of the family (Bee's mother and grandfather) rarely rise above stereotypes. While the impact of the grandfather's verbal abuse is described, including at one point a brief reference to Bee's mother cowering behind him while he shouts at Bee, his behavior is never described as abuse or even really questioned beyond it's bigoted content. Bee ultimately pushes back against his sexism, homophobia, and racism, but his verbal violence towards his family is left uncommented on by all characters and the narrators, as if abuse and adults living in terror of one another is a normal feature of conservative homes. Even the overall pitch that the family is divided by political beliefs feels a bit false, as the real reason the family stopped communicating is that
The COVID-19 pandemic, on other hand, is expertly captured. The claustrophobia of those horrible months are rendered truthfully and realistically, as is the persistent unsettling fear and uncertainty. The book also does a wonderful job of demonstrating how the pandemic experience was not universal, with the level of omnipresent concern and fear varying from community to community. The harrowing nature of palliative care during the early pandemic is also expertly drawn and while the scene involving the girls' grandmother's death is brief, caution may be warranted for either generally sensitive readers or those who experienced similar losses during the pandemic as it may be triggering.
January 21, 2025
The story started out interesting but then took a turn and there were way too many controversial topics and issues all mashed together for the reader. There wasn’t enough development of full stories to make it all come together without feeling like a forced version of acceptance of all.
May 14, 2025
Very sweet. A little cringy but gotta put myself in the YA perspective. Took me back to 2020 and all the feels. Love the abortion thread.
June 20, 2025
How many of you have family members that don't get along? And I mean REALLY don't get along, like they can't be in the same room together without shouting at each other or getting into it.
That's Alice and Bee's reality. Alice and her little sister Olive live in Seattle with their parents. Alice's mom, Elizabeth, hasn't been back to Minnesota to see her parents and her sister for years. But now it's Grandma and Grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary so back to Minnesota the family goes. Alice is nervous about meeting Bee. She knows Bee is super smart from what Grandma tells her. Grandma is the only one that makes an effort to stay connected to the Seattle side of the family, visiting them for a week every July.
Meanwhile, Bee is nervous about meeting her cousin, Alice. Alice is from the Big City whereas Bee has never lived anywhere but her small Minnesota town. She knows her mother, Caroline, doesn't get along with her sister and that Aunt Elizabeth did Something Really Bad. What that is though, she doesn't know. Aunt Caroline and Grandpa both do their fair share of snarking on the Seattle side of the family. "They have different values," they explain to Bee.
When Bee and Alice meet, they are tentative about each other at first but quickly grow to like each other. But their grand plans of becoming closer friends is spoiled when their moms get into it and Alice and her family quickly depart back to Seattle. Banned from ever contacting Alice again, Bee does something she has never done before--blatantly goes against her mother's wishes and secretly texts Alice.
But how can a budding friendship survive when your family is so dead set against it? And does family mean anything at all?
----
I first heard about RABBIT, RABBIT from School Library Journal's article on true middle school books. These are very hard to find. There is a huge need for them and the publishing world hasn't quite caught onto that.
I had very high hopes for this one as it bills itself as being the tale of two cousins split apart from each other because of family differences. And it is that! You can tell the authors did a fantastic job pulling from their own experiences as well as those they saw growing up. I do wish there was more nuance with the conservative side of the family. Once again, you mostly have a portrayal of conservative Christians being angry bigots. BUT it is more nuanced than most middle grade/YA books out there.
This book tackles A LOT of issues including racism, COVID-19, homophobia, sexism, how babies are born via artificial insemination, and more.
Some of the best moments of the book are how the cousins navigate their relationship. They are both in 7th grade and that is definitely a time when teens are trying to figure out who they are and what they believe. For Bee, it's very complicated because she is starting to believe things that run counter to her mother and her beloved grandfather's beliefs. For Alice, things are very black & white so she can't understand why her parents won't go to a particular Black Lives Matter protest.
There are lots of text message exchanges between the girls and here's one of my favorites:
Bee: I told mom we made up. I said I love and respect you even though we're different in some big ways, so why can't she and your mom do that?" (p. 233)
What a concept! I wish more people today had that mindset.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when Bee is trying to figure out not just how she feels about an issue but what it means for her relationships:
"I watch my friends go down the rabbit hole, arguing for or against ______, and it occurs to me that maybe I'm asking the wrong questions. Maybe the question isn't is __________ right or wrong? Maybe the question is Should I cut someone out of my life because they __________? I don't think so. I don't know what I believe about _______, and I may not figure that out for a while. But I know for sure that whatever I decide, I won't give up a relationship with _______ over it. Not over ________; not over anything" (p. 282).
And that's really the crux of it, isn't it? In this day and age, I've seen lots of people blow up their relationships with others over who they voted for and their pandemic response and beliefs.
At one point in the book, Alice notes how hypocritical adults are. They are constantly telling kids to "use their words and be kind" but they themselves are doing the exact opposite. Preach it, Alice!
My other favorite part of the book was watching Bee navigate her relationship with her grandfather. She loves him dearly but, over some months, realizes that while she affectionately joke with him that he is sexist, he really is, in fact, sexist, racist, and homophobic. But she still loves him and wants a relationship with him. Alice, for all her talk of reuniting the family, can't understand this. Bee has the following exchange with her grandfather which I found to be touching and spot on:
"I am not going to apologize," I say.
Grandpa doesn't respond.
"You know. For calling you racist and homophobic. For refusing to go to your church." I'm not sorry about any of that and I'm not going to pretend I am.
"That's your business."
"Can I still come over if I don't say I'm sorry?"
Grandpa shrugs. "It's a free country."
"Not for everyone."
"Oh, for Pete's sake," Grandpa looks away.
"It's not," I say. But I venture closer, careful not to step on all the worms that have come out after the storm. "Just because you're an adult doesn't mean you're right about everything."
I wait for him to tell me I'm being disrespectful, but he doesn't. "I love you, Grandpa, but you can't keep saying stuff about people of color or gay people or people with disabilities or girls. If you say something racist, I'm going to tell you it's racist. If you say something homophobic, I'm going to tell you it's homophobic. And I'm not going to apologize for it."
Grandpa clears his throat. "I wouldn't want you to apologize if you don't mean it."...
"I have to find my own way, Grandpa. And you have to let me."...
"I know," Grandpa says, his voice stopping me in my tracks. "But I don't have to like it."
That's true.
"So," he says with hope in his eyes. "You want to come in and play some cribbage?"
I do...I like playing cribbage with my grandpa.
This book really is a fantastic offering for middle schoolers and adults alike.
That's Alice and Bee's reality. Alice and her little sister Olive live in Seattle with their parents. Alice's mom, Elizabeth, hasn't been back to Minnesota to see her parents and her sister for years. But now it's Grandma and Grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary so back to Minnesota the family goes. Alice is nervous about meeting Bee. She knows Bee is super smart from what Grandma tells her. Grandma is the only one that makes an effort to stay connected to the Seattle side of the family, visiting them for a week every July.
Meanwhile, Bee is nervous about meeting her cousin, Alice. Alice is from the Big City whereas Bee has never lived anywhere but her small Minnesota town. She knows her mother, Caroline, doesn't get along with her sister and that Aunt Elizabeth did Something Really Bad. What that is though, she doesn't know. Aunt Caroline and Grandpa both do their fair share of snarking on the Seattle side of the family. "They have different values," they explain to Bee.
When Bee and Alice meet, they are tentative about each other at first but quickly grow to like each other. But their grand plans of becoming closer friends is spoiled when their moms get into it and Alice and her family quickly depart back to Seattle. Banned from ever contacting Alice again, Bee does something she has never done before--blatantly goes against her mother's wishes and secretly texts Alice.
But how can a budding friendship survive when your family is so dead set against it? And does family mean anything at all?
----
I first heard about RABBIT, RABBIT from School Library Journal's article on true middle school books. These are very hard to find. There is a huge need for them and the publishing world hasn't quite caught onto that.
I had very high hopes for this one as it bills itself as being the tale of two cousins split apart from each other because of family differences. And it is that! You can tell the authors did a fantastic job pulling from their own experiences as well as those they saw growing up. I do wish there was more nuance with the conservative side of the family. Once again, you mostly have a portrayal of conservative Christians being angry bigots. BUT it is more nuanced than most middle grade/YA books out there.
This book tackles A LOT of issues including racism, COVID-19, homophobia, sexism, how babies are born via artificial insemination, and more.
Some of the best moments of the book are how the cousins navigate their relationship. They are both in 7th grade and that is definitely a time when teens are trying to figure out who they are and what they believe. For Bee, it's very complicated because she is starting to believe things that run counter to her mother and her beloved grandfather's beliefs. For Alice, things are very black & white so she can't understand why her parents won't go to a particular Black Lives Matter protest.
There are lots of text message exchanges between the girls and here's one of my favorites:
Bee: I told mom we made up. I said I love and respect you even though we're different in some big ways, so why can't she and your mom do that?" (p. 233)
What a concept! I wish more people today had that mindset.
One of my favorite parts of the book is when Bee is trying to figure out not just how she feels about an issue but what it means for her relationships:
"I watch my friends go down the rabbit hole, arguing for or against ______, and it occurs to me that maybe I'm asking the wrong questions. Maybe the question isn't is __________ right or wrong? Maybe the question is Should I cut someone out of my life because they __________? I don't think so. I don't know what I believe about _______, and I may not figure that out for a while. But I know for sure that whatever I decide, I won't give up a relationship with _______ over it. Not over ________; not over anything" (p. 282).
And that's really the crux of it, isn't it? In this day and age, I've seen lots of people blow up their relationships with others over who they voted for and their pandemic response and beliefs.
At one point in the book, Alice notes how hypocritical adults are. They are constantly telling kids to "use their words and be kind" but they themselves are doing the exact opposite. Preach it, Alice!
My other favorite part of the book was watching Bee navigate her relationship with her grandfather. She loves him dearly but, over some months, realizes that while she affectionately joke with him that he is sexist, he really is, in fact, sexist, racist, and homophobic. But she still loves him and wants a relationship with him. Alice, for all her talk of reuniting the family, can't understand this. Bee has the following exchange with her grandfather which I found to be touching and spot on:
"I am not going to apologize," I say.
Grandpa doesn't respond.
"You know. For calling you racist and homophobic. For refusing to go to your church." I'm not sorry about any of that and I'm not going to pretend I am.
"That's your business."
"Can I still come over if I don't say I'm sorry?"
Grandpa shrugs. "It's a free country."
"Not for everyone."
"Oh, for Pete's sake," Grandpa looks away.
"It's not," I say. But I venture closer, careful not to step on all the worms that have come out after the storm. "Just because you're an adult doesn't mean you're right about everything."
I wait for him to tell me I'm being disrespectful, but he doesn't. "I love you, Grandpa, but you can't keep saying stuff about people of color or gay people or people with disabilities or girls. If you say something racist, I'm going to tell you it's racist. If you say something homophobic, I'm going to tell you it's homophobic. And I'm not going to apologize for it."
Grandpa clears his throat. "I wouldn't want you to apologize if you don't mean it."...
"I have to find my own way, Grandpa. And you have to let me."...
"I know," Grandpa says, his voice stopping me in my tracks. "But I don't have to like it."
That's true.
"So," he says with hope in his eyes. "You want to come in and play some cribbage?"
I do...I like playing cribbage with my grandpa.
This book really is a fantastic offering for middle schoolers and adults alike.
March 23, 2025
An excellent middle grade read that handles ideological differences in families with grace and empathy.
This story of two cousins trying to mend the rift between their mothers after political and religious views drive them apart tried to stay away from making caricatures of the family members on both sides of the divide. None of the adults are flawless, but none of the adults are evil either, and the main characters have to grapple with how (and if) they can keep loving the people who they fundamentally disagree with.
With lovable leads and a premise that invites readers to examine what they believe and why, this is a great book to encourage young readers to stand up for their beliefs and be true to who they are, even if that brings them into conflict with the adults they love.
Thanks to NetGalley for this digital ARC!
This story of two cousins trying to mend the rift between their mothers after political and religious views drive them apart tried to stay away from making caricatures of the family members on both sides of the divide. None of the adults are flawless, but none of the adults are evil either, and the main characters have to grapple with how (and if) they can keep loving the people who they fundamentally disagree with.
With lovable leads and a premise that invites readers to examine what they believe and why, this is a great book to encourage young readers to stand up for their beliefs and be true to who they are, even if that brings them into conflict with the adults they love.
Thanks to NetGalley for this digital ARC!
February 18, 2025
Their moms are estranged so cousins Alice and Bee have never gotten to know each other. Alice’s lives with her mom and dad and little sister in Seattle while Bee’s mom and grandparents have never left the rural Midwest. A brief get-together when they are twelve ignites their friendship so when there’s a blow up and the visit is cut short, Alice and Bee text and call, determined to be friends despite their differences. Both girls are close to their grandmother who contracts Covid and even with quarantine they continue to try to heal the rifts in their family, clarify their own identities, and respond to the death of George Floyd. As a Seattle native, I especially appreciated the accurate geographical references! EARC from Edelweiss.
May 1, 2025
A big thank you to Holiday House for the copy of Rabbit Rabbit by Dori Hillestad Butler and Sunshine Bacon! 📚🧳️😍
This emotionally layered upper middle grade novel navigates complicated family dynamics, generational divides, and the turbulence of the pandemic through the fresh, determined voices of Alice and Bee. Despite barely knowing one another, the cousins develop a powerful bond and become unwitting champions for healing wounds the adults around them refuse to acknowledge.
🔹 Told in dual POV, Rabbit Rabbit gives space for both girls' experiences—Bee's life in a strict, conservative home where fear and control dominate, and Alice's more progressive, but still complex, upbringing in liberal Seattle. Their interactions feel genuine, full of humor, conflict, and tenderness as they piece together the mystery behind their families' decades-old rift.
What this book does best is honestly portray the awkward and often painful contradictions of being caught between two worlds. The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t just a backdrop—it’s integral to the story, bringing even more clarity (and urgency) to questions of identity, communication, and generational trauma. Some scenes are emotionally intense, particularly around the loss of their grandmother, and the depiction of end-of-life care is sensitively rendered.
🔍 Highlights:
• 🤾️ A strong friendship built on hope, forgiveness, and truth
• 🚫 Tackles tough topics like bodily autonomy, sexuality, and abuse with nuance
• 🚗 Captures the early pandemic era with haunting realism
• 🪡 Dual POV that gives equal emotional weight to both girls' perspectives
• 🧠 Intergenerational conflict that feels all too real
📊 Potential Challenges:
• 😬 Some readers may find the political commentary and family portrayals one-dimensional
• 😐 The story drifts from its central mystery, leaving the "big reveal" feeling underwhelming
• ❌ Conservative characters, especially the grandfather, feel more like caricatures than real people
• 🤔 Characters aged 12 may read more like 14-15 in maturity and voice
📃 TROPES:
• 🧱 Found family (through friendship)
• 🩼 Misunderstood relatives
• 🌟 Secrets from the past
• ⏳ Coming-of-age during crisis
• 🕵️♀️ Middle grade sleuths
• 🚶️♀️ Dual narrative girl power
🌟 Final Thoughts:
Rabbit Rabbit is heartfelt and deeply relevant, balancing weighty themes with enough humor and hope to keep readers engaged. While some aspects of the plot feel heavy-handed or muddled by the sheer number of layered issues, the emotional resonance of Bee and Alice’s story is undeniable. A thoughtful read for older middle grade and young YA readers ready to tackle the messy intersections of family, politics, and growing up.
🌟🌟🌟.5/5
This emotionally layered upper middle grade novel navigates complicated family dynamics, generational divides, and the turbulence of the pandemic through the fresh, determined voices of Alice and Bee. Despite barely knowing one another, the cousins develop a powerful bond and become unwitting champions for healing wounds the adults around them refuse to acknowledge.
🔹 Told in dual POV, Rabbit Rabbit gives space for both girls' experiences—Bee's life in a strict, conservative home where fear and control dominate, and Alice's more progressive, but still complex, upbringing in liberal Seattle. Their interactions feel genuine, full of humor, conflict, and tenderness as they piece together the mystery behind their families' decades-old rift.
What this book does best is honestly portray the awkward and often painful contradictions of being caught between two worlds. The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t just a backdrop—it’s integral to the story, bringing even more clarity (and urgency) to questions of identity, communication, and generational trauma. Some scenes are emotionally intense, particularly around the loss of their grandmother, and the depiction of end-of-life care is sensitively rendered.
🔍 Highlights:
• 🤾️ A strong friendship built on hope, forgiveness, and truth
• 🚫 Tackles tough topics like bodily autonomy, sexuality, and abuse with nuance
• 🚗 Captures the early pandemic era with haunting realism
• 🪡 Dual POV that gives equal emotional weight to both girls' perspectives
• 🧠 Intergenerational conflict that feels all too real
📊 Potential Challenges:
• 😬 Some readers may find the political commentary and family portrayals one-dimensional
• 😐 The story drifts from its central mystery, leaving the "big reveal" feeling underwhelming
• ❌ Conservative characters, especially the grandfather, feel more like caricatures than real people
• 🤔 Characters aged 12 may read more like 14-15 in maturity and voice
📃 TROPES:
• 🧱 Found family (through friendship)
• 🩼 Misunderstood relatives
• 🌟 Secrets from the past
• ⏳ Coming-of-age during crisis
• 🕵️♀️ Middle grade sleuths
• 🚶️♀️ Dual narrative girl power
🌟 Final Thoughts:
Rabbit Rabbit is heartfelt and deeply relevant, balancing weighty themes with enough humor and hope to keep readers engaged. While some aspects of the plot feel heavy-handed or muddled by the sheer number of layered issues, the emotional resonance of Bee and Alice’s story is undeniable. A thoughtful read for older middle grade and young YA readers ready to tackle the messy intersections of family, politics, and growing up.
🌟🌟🌟.5/5
January 6, 2025
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
To celebrate their grandmother and grandfather's fiftieth wedding anniversary in 2019, Alice's family comes from Seattle to Homestead, Minnesota. Alice and her cousin, Bethany, haven't seen each other for seven years; forever, when one is twelve. They know that something occurred to make their mothers, Caroline and Elizabeth, stop speaking, but they can't find out why. The families are very different, and the tension is immediate. Alice, whose mother is an OB GYN and whose father's sister is married to a woman and having a baby through artificial insemination, has green hair and plays roller derby. Bethany, whose mother helps her parents run the local gas station and diner, and whose father has moved to Minneapolis after the divorce, tries to follow her family's strict Missouri Synod Lutheran church teachings while secretly reading books with LGBTQIA+ characters. Alice and Bee (a name Bethany likes more than the one she shares with her grandmother) hit it off, but their mothers fight once again. Alice returns to Seattle, but the cousins text. They make plans to have Bee visit with her grandmother in the summer, but then the COVID pandemic hits, and this makes the trip impossible for several very sad reasons. The racial justice protests following the George Floyd murder complicate dynamics as well. The cousins manage to figure out the family dynamics, and Bee is glad of her cousin's support when she comes out as gay, which doesn't go over well with her Minnesota family.
There are a lot of issues to unpack in this book. It's a very interesting look at the COVID pandemic, and I appreciated that it happened after the book was well underway, so it was easy to see how the changes impacted the characters. It was nice to see the cousins reconnect after so many years. The reason why the sisters stopped speaking seemed unreasonable to me, but I also understand that sometimes family doesn't get along, and there is no way to get past philosophical disagreements; a significant portion of my family is Missouri Synod Lutheran while I am not, and sometimes you have to not have certain discussions. While this book was suitable for middle school, it had a young adult level of angst and plot.
In the E ARC, there were a lot of odd symbols in place of words, arrows and such. There was no note that I could find anywhere explaining these, and it was rather annoying. I'd love to know what these were; I'm sure I'm missing something because I didn't understand them.
To celebrate their grandmother and grandfather's fiftieth wedding anniversary in 2019, Alice's family comes from Seattle to Homestead, Minnesota. Alice and her cousin, Bethany, haven't seen each other for seven years; forever, when one is twelve. They know that something occurred to make their mothers, Caroline and Elizabeth, stop speaking, but they can't find out why. The families are very different, and the tension is immediate. Alice, whose mother is an OB GYN and whose father's sister is married to a woman and having a baby through artificial insemination, has green hair and plays roller derby. Bethany, whose mother helps her parents run the local gas station and diner, and whose father has moved to Minneapolis after the divorce, tries to follow her family's strict Missouri Synod Lutheran church teachings while secretly reading books with LGBTQIA+ characters. Alice and Bee (a name Bethany likes more than the one she shares with her grandmother) hit it off, but their mothers fight once again. Alice returns to Seattle, but the cousins text. They make plans to have Bee visit with her grandmother in the summer, but then the COVID pandemic hits, and this makes the trip impossible for several very sad reasons. The racial justice protests following the George Floyd murder complicate dynamics as well. The cousins manage to figure out the family dynamics, and Bee is glad of her cousin's support when she comes out as gay, which doesn't go over well with her Minnesota family.
There are a lot of issues to unpack in this book. It's a very interesting look at the COVID pandemic, and I appreciated that it happened after the book was well underway, so it was easy to see how the changes impacted the characters. It was nice to see the cousins reconnect after so many years. The reason why the sisters stopped speaking seemed unreasonable to me, but I also understand that sometimes family doesn't get along, and there is no way to get past philosophical disagreements; a significant portion of my family is Missouri Synod Lutheran while I am not, and sometimes you have to not have certain discussions. While this book was suitable for middle school, it had a young adult level of angst and plot.
In the E ARC, there were a lot of odd symbols in place of words, arrows and such. There was no note that I could find anywhere explaining these, and it was rather annoying. I'd love to know what these were; I'm sure I'm missing something because I didn't understand them.
May 17, 2025
“Family is worth continuing the hard conversation.” This book is about family. It’s about talking. It’s about all the good and bad that goes with both those things. People have differing opinions. People are stubborn. Some are stuck in their ways. But people are also worth fighting for. They’re worth loving. And talking—making an effort—is important, especially in tough times.
This book begins in December, 2019. Cousins Bethany (aka Bee) and Alice haven’t seen each other in years, but become fast friends while celebrating their grandparents’ anniversary. Something happened with their family years ago that no one will talk about, but the girls are determined to find out what it is and get their moms and maybe other family members to “talk it out.” But when old arguments interrupt their family reunion, Bee and Alice are forced to make other plans. They begin communicating via text, each letting the reader into her world via alternating points of view. Both Alice and Bee have differing viewpoints on some subjects, but they are able to find common ground. They both love their grandmother, who holds the family together by a thread. And their voices feel genuine, the struggles feel real.
As this book is set during the pandemic, I wondered how everything would be portrayed going in. And I was honestly surprised about how much I had forgotten about that year. The book’s chapters all have dates, so it has been meticulously researched and I found myself back in that uncertain time, feeling what those girls felt, laughing and crying with them. What a year.
But this book is more than a history on 2020. It is about family and how we choose to talk to one another. Alice and Bee, in trying to reunite their family, show us that it’s only by talking (and listening) that we will ever find progress. To paraphrase the book, “As long as you are talking, there’s progress.” Maybe we need to keep making the effort to be better. Do better. Listen and learn. Chat and not yell. Maybe characters like Bee and Alice can show us the way.
Mia’s 2nd Year of Books: Days 60, 61, 63, 66 and 67
#PandemicBooks #Family #WeNeedDiverseBooks
This book begins in December, 2019. Cousins Bethany (aka Bee) and Alice haven’t seen each other in years, but become fast friends while celebrating their grandparents’ anniversary. Something happened with their family years ago that no one will talk about, but the girls are determined to find out what it is and get their moms and maybe other family members to “talk it out.” But when old arguments interrupt their family reunion, Bee and Alice are forced to make other plans. They begin communicating via text, each letting the reader into her world via alternating points of view. Both Alice and Bee have differing viewpoints on some subjects, but they are able to find common ground. They both love their grandmother, who holds the family together by a thread. And their voices feel genuine, the struggles feel real.
As this book is set during the pandemic, I wondered how everything would be portrayed going in. And I was honestly surprised about how much I had forgotten about that year. The book’s chapters all have dates, so it has been meticulously researched and I found myself back in that uncertain time, feeling what those girls felt, laughing and crying with them. What a year.
But this book is more than a history on 2020. It is about family and how we choose to talk to one another. Alice and Bee, in trying to reunite their family, show us that it’s only by talking (and listening) that we will ever find progress. To paraphrase the book, “As long as you are talking, there’s progress.” Maybe we need to keep making the effort to be better. Do better. Listen and learn. Chat and not yell. Maybe characters like Bee and Alice can show us the way.
Mia’s 2nd Year of Books: Days 60, 61, 63, 66 and 67
#PandemicBooks #Family #WeNeedDiverseBooks
July 21, 2025
Rabbit Rabbit is a dual-narrative chapter book set during the tumultuous spring and summer of 2020. The book follows two cousins, Bee and Alice, who meet at a family reunion but are unable to maintain contact due to family conflict combined with the COVID-19 pandemic. Bee and Alice discover that they have more in common than they have been led to believe, and the two try to solve the mystery of what exactly tore their family apart. The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Bee and Alice, with Bee coming from the more conservative side of her family, and Alice living with her more liberal parents. Rabbit Rabbit handles a lot of complex topics including racism, homophobia, abortion, tough historical events, and family conflict in an accessible text for readers. All main characters are white, with one side character (Linda) being Vietnamese, and other side characters are mentioned as being Black or identifying as other ethnicities.
I liked how Butler and Bacon wrote Bee, Alice, and their friends and family. The characters feel very real, and young readers will identify with Bee and Alice and their struggles in 2020. The story combines a good amount of humor and heart, and maintains an engaging narrative for readers without sacrificing discussions of important topics. I thought the book handled the events of 2020 very well, including scenes of characters dealing with the effects of COVID-19 (social-distancing, masking, quarantine, etc.), and characters encountering the Black Lives Matter movement as well. I found the discussions around protesting safely vs. risking exposure between Alice and her mom and friends to be very nuanced. Overall, this book portrays a series of timely events in our very recent history and will leave readers with a lot to discuss and think about. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
I liked how Butler and Bacon wrote Bee, Alice, and their friends and family. The characters feel very real, and young readers will identify with Bee and Alice and their struggles in 2020. The story combines a good amount of humor and heart, and maintains an engaging narrative for readers without sacrificing discussions of important topics. I thought the book handled the events of 2020 very well, including scenes of characters dealing with the effects of COVID-19 (social-distancing, masking, quarantine, etc.), and characters encountering the Black Lives Matter movement as well. I found the discussions around protesting safely vs. risking exposure between Alice and her mom and friends to be very nuanced. Overall, this book portrays a series of timely events in our very recent history and will leave readers with a lot to discuss and think about. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...
December 18, 2025
Two very different sisters have been estranged for a while. We find out more about the situation from their points of view of their two daughters. The daughters are very close in age but the rift between their mothers has kept them apart.
Their grandparents’ anniversary seems to be just the time for a patch up but things start to sour immediately. All of this is in the pre-COVID time. As the girls struggle to figure out their lives and how to keep their bidding relationship ticking , COVID rears its head and the country goes on lockdown. This period always amazes me because I was in HK at the time and we were ahead in the fear and restrictions. We lived a whole other life and moving to the Netherlands that August was almost surreal.
The authors have managed to bring the struggle to life in two different places with different mentalities. The priorities are different and the casualties slightly different. Despite the differences, there’s a uniting force and it is not something minor. The whole effect of the pandemic and their seemingly smaller private struggles allows how heavy the load is on the girls that I forgot what age they were supposed to be!
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who finds the blurb interesting. The cause of the rift could be a little triggering but just mentioning it might be too much of a reveal.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
Their grandparents’ anniversary seems to be just the time for a patch up but things start to sour immediately. All of this is in the pre-COVID time. As the girls struggle to figure out their lives and how to keep their bidding relationship ticking , COVID rears its head and the country goes on lockdown. This period always amazes me because I was in HK at the time and we were ahead in the fear and restrictions. We lived a whole other life and moving to the Netherlands that August was almost surreal.
The authors have managed to bring the struggle to life in two different places with different mentalities. The priorities are different and the casualties slightly different. Despite the differences, there’s a uniting force and it is not something minor. The whole effect of the pandemic and their seemingly smaller private struggles allows how heavy the load is on the girls that I forgot what age they were supposed to be!
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who finds the blurb interesting. The cause of the rift could be a little triggering but just mentioning it might be too much of a reveal.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
February 25, 2025
This book had such an interesting premise, two cousins that set out to discover what fractured their family. Why their mothers don’t talk therefore separating these two.
It’s been seven years since Alice and Bethany have seen each other. Now they are reunited at their grandparents 50th wedding anniversary celebration. And though this reunion started off great, the past comes back to haunt them and the reunion is short-lived.
Rabbit, Rabbit (weird title I know, but you need to read the book for its reasons) is a story with many layers, in fact, all those layers distracted from the ultimate goal, which was to uncover what happened seven years ago. There is the pandemic, lockdown, which shuts so many aspects of the world down but still these two managed to secretly communicate.
But it isn’t always about the original goal of uncovering what happened. I found myself distracted from the ultimate goal and with the many other things going on. And then when it was finally revealed what happened it was underwhelming and turned into just an okay read for me. While I enjoyed getting to know Alice and Bee be I found other members of the family not that authentic and the grandfather just way too much. Being 335 pages long might seem daunting but it did go by fast.
My thanks to Holiday House for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.
It’s been seven years since Alice and Bethany have seen each other. Now they are reunited at their grandparents 50th wedding anniversary celebration. And though this reunion started off great, the past comes back to haunt them and the reunion is short-lived.
Rabbit, Rabbit (weird title I know, but you need to read the book for its reasons) is a story with many layers, in fact, all those layers distracted from the ultimate goal, which was to uncover what happened seven years ago. There is the pandemic, lockdown, which shuts so many aspects of the world down but still these two managed to secretly communicate.
But it isn’t always about the original goal of uncovering what happened. I found myself distracted from the ultimate goal and with the many other things going on. And then when it was finally revealed what happened it was underwhelming and turned into just an okay read for me. While I enjoyed getting to know Alice and Bee be I found other members of the family not that authentic and the grandfather just way too much. Being 335 pages long might seem daunting but it did go by fast.
My thanks to Holiday House for a digital arc in exchange for a honest review.
November 20, 2025
Twelve-year-old cousins Alice and Bee haven't seen each other for seven years. True, one lives in Oregon and the other in Minnesota, but there is some big family blowup that keeps them apart. The only glue for the two halves of the family is grandma. When the entire family comes together for the grandparents' fiftieth wedding anniversary, Alice hopes she and Bee can be friends again. Bee is not so certain. Nevertheless, the two begin to bond despite the family tension that seems to be about more than the rejection of Alice's mom of her family's Lutheran heritage and beliefs. When the visit ends, Alice hopes to keep the lines of communication open, but even more, wants her and Bee's mothers to reconnect and act as sisters once again. Then, the pandemic strikes, grandma dies, George Floyd is murdered by police, and the family secret once again may cause a family rift. Not only that, but Bee is coming to understand that she may not agree with her mother and grandfather on some aspects of faith. How Bee and Alice struggle to move beyond a child's understanding of what is right and how actions relate to one's personal and corporate faith toward a more nuanced understanding as well as their struggles to keep communicating through hurt feelings using texts and phone calls is very timely. This book contains mature themes written in a sympathetic and age appropriate way.
February 21, 2025
Alice and Bee are cousins who are trying to figure out the mystery of why their Moms don't talk anymore. Something happened 7 years ago, and Alice and Bee are determined to get answers once they are reunited at their Grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. Unfortunately, the pandemic hits, and that makes their quest to find out that much harder. In the end, Alice and Bee are able to figure out the cause of the rift between their Moms, which gives the story a somewhat happy ever after.
In the story, middle school students Alice and Bee are almost 13, but the topics and situations and responses to them made the story seem like the girls were young adults maybe 14 or 15. I had to keep reminding myself that this novel is geared more toward middle school students. The novel also covered so many diverse topics, but it felt as if there was a checklist of topics to include just to say that they were included. This made the reading feel too heavy at times.
I realize that the pandemic is now considered history, but after having lived through it while teaching middle school students, the story felt intrusive. The anxiety I felt during that time became an unwelcome character while finishing the last half of the book. Maybe students will like this one enough to stick with it, but maybe they won't.
In the story, middle school students Alice and Bee are almost 13, but the topics and situations and responses to them made the story seem like the girls were young adults maybe 14 or 15. I had to keep reminding myself that this novel is geared more toward middle school students. The novel also covered so many diverse topics, but it felt as if there was a checklist of topics to include just to say that they were included. This made the reading feel too heavy at times.
I realize that the pandemic is now considered history, but after having lived through it while teaching middle school students, the story felt intrusive. The anxiety I felt during that time became an unwelcome character while finishing the last half of the book. Maybe students will like this one enough to stick with it, but maybe they won't.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 6, 2025
I received a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it!
Bee and Alice are cousins. They used to be close…and then something happened between their mothers. When 5eir grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary comes, the girls have the opportunity to reconnect.
This was a tough book to read for me. 2020 and the COVID pandemic aren’t so long in the past to feel like historical fiction, and the anger and stress and loss was very real. So was the unfortunately current memories of families split due to being on different sides politically.
I do feel like there was a little too much thrown in. Just the family split and COVID would be enough. I’m not sure the book needed one character struggling with undiagnosed ADHD and another struggling with sexual orientation. It almost felt like box checking. And the reveal of the reason behind the split seemed inclined to place one family securely in the “wrong” side.
Overall, though, this is a book that I can see being assigned to kids n the future who want to know what living in 2020 was like. It’s worth reading. Just come prepared.
Bee and Alice are cousins. They used to be close…and then something happened between their mothers. When 5eir grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary comes, the girls have the opportunity to reconnect.
This was a tough book to read for me. 2020 and the COVID pandemic aren’t so long in the past to feel like historical fiction, and the anger and stress and loss was very real. So was the unfortunately current memories of families split due to being on different sides politically.
I do feel like there was a little too much thrown in. Just the family split and COVID would be enough. I’m not sure the book needed one character struggling with undiagnosed ADHD and another struggling with sexual orientation. It almost felt like box checking. And the reveal of the reason behind the split seemed inclined to place one family securely in the “wrong” side.
Overall, though, this is a book that I can see being assigned to kids n the future who want to know what living in 2020 was like. It’s worth reading. Just come prepared.
June 23, 2025
This is an amazing very true to life book.
The portrayal of the generations mirrors a lot of what a lot of us have seen and continue to see around us.
The grandmother as the glue that holds everyone together, particularly from her generation, and the youngest generation trying to figure out why their parents can't just get along is spot on for many families.
I do wish that the conservative side of the family was sometimes portrayed more sympathetically. If it was, then I think it would find a larger audience.
I also think these girls are portrayed too young. Middle school, sure, but a lot of what they are doing feels more real to life at a couple of years older or 13 going on 14. It seems pitched a bit you with age vs. what they are talking about. I agree with a previous review that it may struggle to find its audience because of this.
The portrayal of the generations mirrors a lot of what a lot of us have seen and continue to see around us.
The grandmother as the glue that holds everyone together, particularly from her generation, and the youngest generation trying to figure out why their parents can't just get along is spot on for many families.
I do wish that the conservative side of the family was sometimes portrayed more sympathetically. If it was, then I think it would find a larger audience.
I also think these girls are portrayed too young. Middle school, sure, but a lot of what they are doing feels more real to life at a couple of years older or 13 going on 14. It seems pitched a bit you with age vs. what they are talking about. I agree with a previous review that it may struggle to find its audience because of this.
February 25, 2025
Bee and Alice are 12 yo cousins who have spent little time together because their mothers are not & have not been speaking to each other for many years for reasons neither girl knows. The chapters alternate between Alice, who lives in Seattle, and Bee, who lives in the Minnesota town where her mother and grandparents live. When Alice and her mom come to visit for their grandparent’s anniversary party, the girls establish a relationship and although their mom’s blow up at each other – again – the girls continue to correspond via texts. A whole lot of issues are covered in this book (perhaps a couple too many ?), but they are dealt with very well and I highly recommend it. Would also make a great discussion book.
April 20, 2025
I've been waiting for Butler to write something for a while now and continue to recommend Do You Know the Monkey Man? to many middle school readers. This book also dealt with a family secret, but the reveal seemed less than exciting. I enjoyed this book, and yet, I struggle with authors who feel the need to insert their own political agenda or religious beliefs in this case into the story without providing enough context or acknowledging that many things aren't black or white and there's a whole bunch of gray to most things. In the current climate of book bans, parents seem to go after content that they view as too graphic or inappropriate, but I am much more concerned about the subliminal messages many of our books include.
August 10, 2025
👦🏻 review: Oh geesh, this book is truly written for today’s readers—“It’s Complicated”. I wasn’t really interested to read about the C19 but this book made me changed my mind. The realistic fiction depicts the conditions that has been happening in our surroundings. Have you attended any gatherings that usually involve talks that turned into debates? I had before and it wasn’t fun. This one is similar but with more details about the current events and situations. The cousins, Bee and Alice, are the best characters to bring things to another level. While reading, I was quite curious about the topics and contexts discussed and even though this is YA book, personally I think it is perfect for older audiences just to avoid the drama the questions the little ones could possibly asked.
April 13, 2025
'Shelved under new kind of energy I want to see from children's books'
This book follows two cousins from different backgrounds. Together, they touch on multiple current topics (and some that are already in the past, fortunately) that are handled wonderfully in this book. I think it's a great access point for young readers to learn about the world in a safe way.
My only criticism is that some plot lines resolved relatively quickly, but that could also be the result of me flying through the pages as it's an actual pageturner.
Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for giving me access to an e-arc for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
This book follows two cousins from different backgrounds. Together, they touch on multiple current topics (and some that are already in the past, fortunately) that are handled wonderfully in this book. I think it's a great access point for young readers to learn about the world in a safe way.
My only criticism is that some plot lines resolved relatively quickly, but that could also be the result of me flying through the pages as it's an actual pageturner.
Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for giving me access to an e-arc for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
September 9, 2025
I read this right after A World Worth Saving and that was not a good choice on my part. Both books are on the angsty tween side of middle-grade. Both books were too didactic for me (I have a low tolerance). I felt like the authors were almost lecturing at times through the mouths of their characters. I understand that some authors are passionate about writing books that teach right versus wrong. But I much prefer the kind of stories that leave space for readers to come to their own conclusions or sit with the discomfort of a moral gray area.
In this story, liberals act like liberals and conservatives act like conservatives. If you know the stereotypes, there are no surprises here. My colleague pointed out that the authors may have wanted kids from families like Bee's to see themselves in this story, so Bee's mom and Grandpa are realistic depictions. I get that. But I wish Bee's mom had been more sympathetic or at least interesting. She wasn't evil, but she was very clearly in the wrong and that made the story fall a little flat for me. I was hoping the big conflict between the moms would be creative, but in my opinion it wasn't. ()
This book is very good at capturing the sense of dread at the beginning of the pandemic. It's also very good at depicting a sweet, supportive friendship between two kids from different backgrounds (they are from the same background genetically because they're first cousins, but their home lives are very different culturally and economically).
This could be a read-alike for To Night Owl from Dogfish because the Parent Trap-ness is there (though obviously the vibe is very different). Rabbit Rabbit isn't epistolary, but there's a lot of texting.
Side note: I expected the "Rabbit Rabbit" texting thing to take on some extra meaning or significance but I don't think it ever did. Unless I missed something?
In this story, liberals act like liberals and conservatives act like conservatives. If you know the stereotypes, there are no surprises here. My colleague pointed out that the authors may have wanted kids from families like Bee's to see themselves in this story, so Bee's mom and Grandpa are realistic depictions. I get that. But I wish Bee's mom had been more sympathetic or at least interesting. She wasn't evil, but she was very clearly in the wrong and that made the story fall a little flat for me. I was hoping the big conflict between the moms would be creative, but in my opinion it wasn't. ()
This book is very good at capturing the sense of dread at the beginning of the pandemic. It's also very good at depicting a sweet, supportive friendship between two kids from different backgrounds (they are from the same background genetically because they're first cousins, but their home lives are very different culturally and economically).
This could be a read-alike for To Night Owl from Dogfish because the Parent Trap-ness is there (though obviously the vibe is very different). Rabbit Rabbit isn't epistolary, but there's a lot of texting.
Side note: I expected the "Rabbit Rabbit" texting thing to take on some extra meaning or significance but I don't think it ever did. Unless I missed something?
September 29, 2025
Wow! I really liked this one, but it brought back some trauma from Covid 19 that I'd put behind me... Two cousins whose mothers have been estranged for years, meet in person for the first time in years at a family reunion that doesn't end well. Alice's family leaves early, but not before she's gotten Bee's phone number so the two can stay in touch (even though Bee's mother has forbidden her to do so). The girls are determined to solve the mystery of what happened between their moms that no one will discuss. Add to this the world being in the throes of the beginnings of Covid 19 and there's a lot going on. Moving and intense - this one's going to stick with me for a while.
October 23, 2025
Recommended for ages 12+ with guidance and discussion with trusted adults or peer mentors. SPOILERS for parent/educator awareness:
May 29, 2025
This heartfelt YA novel has so many great things going for it. The dual perspective and text thread additions make reading easy and interesting. The characters of Bee and Alice both demonstrate different ways to approach conflict and self reflection, giving readers a lot to think about. Sometimes, novels that are set during 2020 and reference the COVID lockdown can feel forced, but the authors do a wonderful job of capturing the uncertainty and resiliency of that time. Overall, a great read for all ages.
Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for the ARC!
Thank you NetGalley and Holiday House for the ARC!
November 26, 2025
Cousins Bee and Alice hit it off when Alice's family visits Minnesota for Grandma and Grandpa's 50th Anniversary. But their moms insult each other again and the visit is cut short. They become obsessed with discovering the secret of why the two sisters haven't spoken to each other in seven years. Texting and phoning each other during the COVID shutdown helps the cousins stay in touch and eventually discover the big secret that they long to resolve.
There are so many layers to this and may expose readers to someone with a problem similar to theirs, illustrating a way to cope.
There are so many layers to this and may expose readers to someone with a problem similar to theirs, illustrating a way to cope.
July 1, 2025
I initially felt quite invested in the characters. The cousins, their blossoming friendship, and their mission to find out what went wrong and heal their family had a lot of potential. Then along came the pandemic, and though I knew from the book description that it would happen, it felt jarring, and I wondered how necessary it was. Since I had been through the pandemic, reading about it turned me off and I didn't finish the book.
January 4, 2025
Thank you to the publishers - Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink | Holiday House – for giving me access to this book as an E-ARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
Two cousins in different parts of the United States tries to figure out why their mothers aren’t talking to one another as well as being a child during the covid pandemic. It brings up a lot of important topics such as BLM and demonstrating for equality, religion and sexual orientation in a, in my opinion, age appropriate manner.
I’m a bit older than the intended demographic of this book but I still enjoyed this story.
Two cousins in different parts of the United States tries to figure out why their mothers aren’t talking to one another as well as being a child during the covid pandemic. It brings up a lot of important topics such as BLM and demonstrating for equality, religion and sexual orientation in a, in my opinion, age appropriate manner.
I’m a bit older than the intended demographic of this book but I still enjoyed this story.
May 29, 2025
There is something so weird about reading a book about something you lived through and even though it was your life it was also history? Rabbit, Rabbit had me choked up in the best way and I'm so thankful for it.
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January 4, 2025Thank you Net Galley for the ARC!
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