The Road to After

by Rebekah Lowell (Author)

Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade

This poignant debut novel in verse is a portrait of healing, as a young girl rediscovers life and the soothing power of nature after being freed from her abusive father.

For most of her life, Lacey has been a prisoner without even realizing it. Her dad rarely let her, her little sister, or her mama out of his sight. But their situation changes suddenly and dramatically the day her grandparents arrive to help them leave. It's the beginning of a different kind of life for Lacey, and at first she has a hard time letting go of her dad's rules. Gradually though, his hold on her lessens, and her days become filled with choices she's never had before. Now Lacey can take pleasure in sketching the world as she sees it in her nature journal. And as she spends more time outside making things grow and creating good memories with family and friends, she feels her world opening up and blossoming into something new and exciting.

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Hardcover
$16.99

Kirkus

A moving, age-appropriate, and convincing portrayal of family resilience after trauma.
Rebekah Lowell
REBEKAH LOWELL is an author, illustrator, and surface designer with a passion for the natural world. As a survivor of domestic abuse, she has found the outdoors to be a healing grounds. Rebekah has a BFA in illustration from Rhode Island School of Design and an MFA in children's literature and illustration from Hollins University. Her artwork has been featured on the Maine Duck Stamp five times, and she is also an art educator, locally and online. Her debut novel in verse, The Road to After, was published by Nancy Paulsen Books in 2022. Catching Flight is her debut picture book. When she's not in her studio, you can find Rebekah wandering outside--birding, gardening, nature journaling, rescuing birds for Avian Haven, and raising butterflies--often with her daughters, whom she homeschools. She lives with her family in her hometown of Biddeford, Maine. See more of Rebekah's work at rebekahlowell.com, and follow her on Instagram at @rebekahlowell and on Twitter at @RebekahLowell.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780593109618
Lexile Measure
-
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Nancy Paulsen Books
Publication date
May 10, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV013000 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | General
JUV039010 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Physical & Emotional Abuse
JUV070000 - Juvenile Fiction | Poetry (see also Stories in Verse)
Library of Congress categories
Family life
Survival
Novels in verse
Psychotherapy
Psychological abuse

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