Lilac and the Switchback

by Cordelia Jensen

A riveting middle grade novel in verse for any kid who has ever felt unwanted, uncomfortable, or unsure of where they fit in.

Lilac has lived with her aunt, uncle, and cousin ever since her mom died. She already feels like an “extra” member of a family that doesn’t have enough money or space.

Then she finds out her aunt is pregnant with twins, due soon after Lilac turns thirteen. How could they possibly want her around when they’ll have two more kids in their crowded home? As she struggles to process her feelings about the pregnancy, Lilac drifts apart from her best friend Callie, leaving Lilac lonelier than ever.

In a timely twist of fate, Lilac discovers a check sent by her estranged father. Maybe he is the family she’s been looking for... and maybe it’s worth risking everything to find him. After all, how much does the “extra” kid really have to lose?

Poignant, and full of both growing pains and healing, this sensitive story told in lyrical verse is just right for fans of Jacqueline Woodson and Andrea Beatriz Arango.

Genres: Middle Grade, Poetry, Novel In Verse, Family, Friendship, Coming Of Age, Childrens

304 pages, Hardcover

First published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[Lyon.Brit.andthebookshelf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Report: Lilac and the Switchback by Cordelia Jensen

Lilac and the Switchback is a beautiful middle grade novel in verse that completely stole my heart💕 It follows Lilac…a twelve year old girl who’s been living with her aunt…uncle and cousin ever since her mom passed away. She already feels like an “extra” in a family that’s struggling to make ends meet and when she learns her aunt is pregnant with twins.,,those feelings of not belonging only deepen. As Lilac drifts away from her best friend and discovers a mysterious check from her estranged father she begins to wonder where she truly fits in and what “family” really means.

Cordelia Jensen captures the ache of longing…identity and belonging with such honesty and tenderness. 🌸 The verse format makes every emotion feel raw and real like we’re right there with Lilac sorting through confusion…hope and courage. The writing is lyrical and deeply human and I found myself lingering on so many lines.

“ …so what am I supposed to do with how I feel?”

“…in these depths of winter it’s fun to dream of spring.”

This is a perfect addition to the middle grade genre…heartfelt…relatable and filled with empathy. 🦋 A story about finding your voice…your family and yourself. I absolutely loved it! 💜✨

Thank you Cordelia Jensen and Holiday House for the gifted copy!

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[Katie Reilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Middle grade novel in verse about family, friendships, and finding yourself.

Favorite lines:

Page 257:
I think of being extra.
How that can sometimes mean unneeded.
But it can also mean
“more than,”
a surprise you weren’t expecting
but one you welcome,
want, even.

Page 292:
Love might not mean
always knowing the right time
to tell the whole story,
but it does mean knowing
how to forgive.

CW: mentions of vaping, addiction and using.

[libronerd4 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great middle grade book in verse about change.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this novel in verse, we meet Lilac Ethel Jones, who has been living with her Uncle Mack, Aunt Truly, and cousin Charla after her mother's death in a car accident when she was six. Life is pretty good; her uncle is a nurse, her aunt works at Wrap N Rolz and treats her and Charla to an evening at the shop every Friday, and she has her best friend, Callie. When a letter arrives from England and she finds that her long absent father, Simon, has sent a check for her upkeep, Lilac starts to question why she hasn't been in contact with him. She's even more motivated to hear from him when Truly announces that she is pregnant with twins. This causes some money worries, and Lilac starts to wonder if her family really wants her around. Things are a little rocky in seventh grade, as Callie takes French and starts to hand out with Charla more. Since Charla is a moody teen who seems to resent Lilac's presence in her life, this is disconcerting. Lilac has a math partner, Eli, who shares her father's Jewish heritage, and she investigates this part of her background. She also gets involved in a hiking group at school (hence the title) that is working on cleaning up a path in the forest. When the 7th and 8th grade make plans to take a field trip to Philadelphia, Lilac brings up the zoo, where her mother worked. When that is added as a destination, she asks Simon, who has been e mailing her, to meet her there. She even sends him money for the plane ticket, and he agrees to fly over. As tensions escalate in her household, Lilac yells at Truly for keeping things from her, and spends the night with her new friend Hyacinth and her grandmother before the trip. When Simon doesn't show up, she is devastated, but there's a bigger problem; Truly's pre eclampsia has sent her into premature labor, and the family gathers at the hospital for the birth of the twins. Will Lilac be able to make peace with her past, and feel comfortable in her family, once she knows more about her life?
Strengths: Lilac's family struggles a bit, but manages to make do. Her classmates also have some challenges; Hyacinth lives with her grandmother because her mother can't take care of her, and her brothers live with her father. There are any manner of surprises that can hit families, and Truly's high risk pregnancy is realistically portrayed. The friend drama is always a good inclusion in a middle grade, and having Lilac's best friend take up with her cousin was a nice twist. It was also good to see that Charla was actually fairly nice. The absent father was well explained after Lilac spent the book being a bit angry about her situation because she hadn't been given all the details.
Weaknesses: February seems like an odd time of year to plan an outside field trip with middle school students in Pennsylvania. The odds of unpleasant weather seem unnecessarily high.
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who are interested in stories about grief and alternative families like Carr's Lost Kites and Other Treasures, Fusco's The Secret of Honeycake, or Watson's All the Blues in the Sky.
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[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have discovered yet another character who has pulled at my heartstrings and shared a story with which many middle grade readers will identify. Lilac is a seventh grader trying to find her place in her family, her school, and life.

When Lilac’s mother died in a car accident, she went to live with her Uncle Mack, her aunt Truly who was her mother’s best friend, and her one-year-older cousin Charla. Lilac still feels like she is an extra—her cousin is a sometimes friend but most times acts like she resents the intrusion, her uncle works nights to try to make more money to support the family, but Lilac is close to her aunt.

However, seventh grade is a year of changes; some of which are unwelcome. Her best friend and confident Callie joins the French Club and starts hanging around with Charla and her popular friends—
“I get up,
leave her there
before this person
disguised as my best friend
has the chance
to leave me
first.” (ARC 103)

—and Truly announces that she is expecting twins. Lilac feels even more in the way in their small house.
"I've only stooped to worry

whether there will be

any room

left

for me." (41)

And then Lilac discovers a small check sent by her father Simon, and an idea grows that she can convince him to come from England to America to see her and maybe take her with him to live. She cannot understand why her aunt and especially her uncle have kept the check(s) a secret and do not want him to be in contact with her. She writes to Simon and then begins emailing with him and even sends him money to come to the Philadelphia Zoo, the site of her one picture with both her parents, on the day of her school trip.

Some changes are good. There is Eli, her math partner who becomes a friend and who introduces her to Jewish traditions, a connection to her father’s side of the family.

Meanwhile, Lilac joins the Trailblazers Club and with the members, especially Hyacinth, and her new love of nature, she finds a place where she fits.
“By the time we’re done with our ice cream,
the sun’s going down,
it’s colder outside,
and I’m covered in blue [paint from marking trees],
but I feel warm inside.
I can still feel the scattered sun
shining through the woods. (ARC 101)

And through her new friends, Lilac learns that most families are complicated.

“it isn’t just about reclaiming what’s been abandoned.
It’s also about
creating something new.” (250)

This is a new verse novel, with some poems creatively and meaningfully shaped, that will speak to many readers on multiple levels.

[Kim Mento · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lilac doesn’t remember much about her mother. She has been living with her Uncle Mack, Truly, and their daughter, Charla, since her mom died when she was six. She feels like she pushed into their lives the same way she pushed into Charla’s room. Lilac’s best friend, Callie, says, “7th grade is going to be a year of change.” She is absolutely right. In junior high, Lilac and Callie take French, but Callie excels at it and joins the French club. Now Callie is hanging out with Charla and the French Club and Lilac feels alone. She joins the Trailblazers hiking club and makes some new friends, but they aren’t best friends. Callie finds a check from her dad who is living in England and wants to contact him especially now that Truly is expecting twins, but why is it that her aunt and uncle never want to talk about her father.

The story is told in verse with dialogue in italics. Although Uncle Mack is a nurse, they are living in a two-bedroom house and the girls wear off brand clothes. Callie even works at a gym wiping down machines. They aren’t poor, but the twins are going to be a complication, and Callie feels like it would be easier for the family if she weren’t living with them. Callie is not only isolated at home but also at school. She does pick up friends in Trailblazers (her trailfam). Some of them are in single parent families, have step parents, or are being raised by a grandparent. Not all families look the same. The difficult pregnancy is handled appropriately for upper elementary readers. The book is set in a fictional town in Pennsylvania and mentions the Philly Zoo, Reading Terminal, and Insomnia Cookies.

[Roger A Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

To me, the most amazing thing about Lilac and the Switchback is how vividly the author remembers what it was like to be a teenager. The angst. The self-doubt. The not knowing what you don’t know. Lilac, Cordelia Jensen’s protagonist, is living this life and doing her best to fumble through seventh grade. Her mom has passed away. Her father is not in her life. She is living with a loving aunt and uncle and a sharp-edged older cousin. She has a best friend.

Then things get complicated. She finds a check that implies her aunt and uncle are keeping a HUGE secret from her. Her best friend starts hanging around with some other kids. Her aunt gets pregnant.

Jensen tells Lilac’s story in verse novel form—a series of deft, spare poems; each one highly crafted. For fun, after I finished, I went back and read a random selection of these poetic chapters. Each stood on its own, a mini-scene with a beginning, a middle, and an end. Each line, each word was important, with little extra, thus allowing this reader to fill in the blanks. But, upon reflection, I didn’t need any extraneousness. All the essentials were there. The characters, the setting, and just enough familiar details to root me in modern-day Americana. Lilac’s story flowed to a satisfying conclusion. I highly recommend it.

[YSBR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Upon entering seventh grade, Lilac is confronted with lots of uncomfortable changes. Her best friend, Callie, is branching out and making new friends, her Aunt Truly is newly pregnant with twins, and she discovers a check in the mail from her father that she’s never met. After the tragic death of her mother, Lilac moved in with her Aunt Truly, Uncle Mack, and cousin Charla, but will there still be room for her once the twins arrive? What makes a family and how important is DNA? Feeling uncertain about her place in her family and feeling estranged from Callie, Lilac secretly reaches out to establish a relationship with her father, whom she doesn’t remember, hoping that she will find belonging with him. 

This is a novel in verse with descriptive prose, very well-written throughout. The characters are lovable, especially Lilac’s aunt - Truly - who is caring, warm, and wonderful. Readers will root for Lilac, a relatable and struggling young character. This book compassionately addresses the difficulties of transitional life stages like middle school, while exploring important themes like grief, loneliness, belonging, family, and identity. Link to complete review: https://ysbookreviews.wordpress.com/2...

[Christiana Doucette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I began Lilac and the Switchback on a flight home, and devoured the first two thirds within just a few days. Lilac has always gotten along well with her aunt, who she has lived with since the death of her mother. But when she finds a letter from her out-of-country dad in the mail it begins to drive a wedge between them. When her aunt’s pregnancy puts her on mostly bed rest the friction only increases as Lilac reaches out for answers and a possible visit.

I regularly appreciate Cordelia Jensen’s verse novels for their image systems and heart and as someone who experienced several sides of complicated pregnancy (born from an HG plagued pregnancy, watched my mother go through Hyperemesis Gravidarum, then experienced HG in my pregnancies). The thread of a child struggling as their provider cycles through hospitalization and intense at home care needs really connected with me. I loved the growing friendships and multidimensional characters throughout. A really great read.

[Shruthi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful, moving novel about belonging, friendship and growing up. The reader travels with Lilac through her journey of feeling unwanted and "extra", and trying to find her place in the world. It's amazing how the author is able to articulate the feelings of a middle-grader with so much accuracy and sensitivity.

Not only is this novel beautifully tight and well-crafted, but the author's words and images pop. Both the characters and the story feels real and intimate. I needed a fair amount of tissues halfway through and right to the end.

I'm certain young readers will see themselves in its pages.

[Carli · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this sweet coming-of-age novel in verse. Thirteen-year-old Lilac is going through a lot at her age, mainly feeling like an “extra” as she drifts apart from her best friend, and as her aunt and uncle, who are raising her, announce that they are having twins. Never having met her dad, she sees it as a sign when she finds a check from him. But when she starts communicating with him - all the way in England- what she doesn’t understand is his background, which leads to some hurt. A sad but ultimately healing story of growing up. Recommended for grades 5-8. #mglit #librarian #librariansofinstagram #middleschoollibrarian

[Afoma (Reading Middle Grade) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lilac and the Switchback is a moving verse novel about family history, changing friendships, and growing up. I love the realistic and age-appropriate way the author explores the big themes in this story, and I think upper middle grade readers will enjoy it as well. It reminded me a lot of Morrison’s Up for Air, both in terms of Lilac’s character and her stubborn desire to connect with her dad. This is perfect for readers who love the outdoors and compelling, emotional coming-of-age stories.

Full review here - https://readingmiddlegrade.com/lilac-...

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this verse novel, Lilac has always felt like the extra, unneeded part of her family. After her mother’s death, she came to live with her aunt, uncle, and cousin (with whom she shares a room). Money is tight, the house is small, twin babies are on the way, and junior high and friendships are ever-changing. When Lilac discovers her Dad has been in touch with her aunt and uncle, she tries to re-connect with him. Middle-grade readers will enjoy this story of family, friendship, and navigating change.

[Diane Debrovner · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a captivating, beautifully crafted novel! I didn’t want it to end, and then I couldn’t stop thinking about it. All middle-grade readers will relate to Lily’s longing to belong, fear of being replaceable, and refusal to give up hope. Cordelia Jensen is an incredibly gifted writer whose images jump off the page but never seem like she’s trying too hard. There is so much to love about this book!

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This free verse coming of age story of a girl named Lilac sings with hope and love. The main character navigates the changes of junior high, shifting friendships, self-discovery, and what it means to be a family. A heartfelt and thoughtful trip through adolescence for middle grade readers. Beautifully told with an honest voice. Highly recommended.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Lilac's voice leaps off the page, and her story grabbed me by the heart and didn't let go. With evocative poems and relatable characters, this is a beautiful verse novel about family, friendship, and one girl's deeply moving journey toward figuring out where she fits. Cordelia Jensen at her lyrical, insightful best!

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lilac and the Switchback: four stars! Very engaging MG story about a kid trying to find her place amongst her loving but complex-and-changing family. The verse style works well to convey Lilac's emotions. There are a few odd punctuation situations, but nothing that hampered comprehension. Definitely recommended!

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am behind on my reviews. But when I sat down to review this one, I struggled to remember if I even finished it (I did, I am compulsive about finishing books). That to me, says something about how I felt about this book. It's slightly forgettable.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly loved this novel in verse! Family-fitting in - truly belonging-all the feels! This would be perfect for a book group in class where these topics could be discussed! Having it in verse allows access to more students!

[Jennifer Guyor Jowett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once I started reading this book, I couldn't put it down. Readers will be pulling for Lilac every step of the way. She feels like such a real character who is navigating relatable middle grade challenges. This is a quick read and one that will stick with you for awhile!

[LS Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expect an emotional punch when reading a BIV, but this book didn't provide that. It is a story about found family and friend relationships. I also didn't really like the character of Lilac, so that influenced by perspective.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful verse novel about Lilac, who lives with her cousin after her mother dies. Her aunt and uncle are having twins, and suddenly she sees that she’s an expense in the household. A story of friendship, change and the dream of an absent father.

[Hoover Public Library Kids and Teens · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A thoughtful and vulnerable narrator in this verse novel, Lilac and her journey will resonate with anyone who has feared change and has been forced, whether they felt ready or not, to grapple with its (sometimes surprising) consequences." [School Library Journal]

[Mary]

12.6.2024
sounds cry-ugly depressing ↠ automatically in my TBR

[Jennifer Halbur · Rating 5 out of 5]

An a absolutely remarkable book! Lilac feels like an extra bc she lives with her aunt and uncle after her mom died and her dad left. Her journey is so inspiring.

[Naomi Milliner · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written novel in verse, full of heart and hope. Lilac is such a wonderful, relatable heroine! Highly recommended.

[Laura Sibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This middle grade novel-in-verse offers an authentic portrait of a girl trying to learn where -- and to whom -- she belongs amid changing family and friend dynamics.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an important story that will pull at your heartstrings! Belonging, family dynamics and purpose are all themes that permeate this book. Highly recommend for upper middle grade readers!

[Vicky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this NIV abt Lilac having to live w her aunt (who’s having twins) and family, making new friends, and wondering where her dad is. #hope #trust

[Wendee · Rating 5 out of 5]

ADORED this book. Just downloaded it on a whim. Tween me would have loved the hell out of it.