What Mrs. Bendorf says: This is a real and lovely story about a young lady, Natalie, who is attempting to deal with her mother's depression while navigating middle school and life. Natalie's family has always been, in Natalie's mind, a happy one. When her mother suddenly stops coming out of her room and going to work, Natalie is confused and frightened. There must be some way to bring her mom back to the way she was, but how?
Natalie's mom is a botanist and has been studying a very rare blue orchid-Natalie has seen how inspired her mom is by this amazing plan that can turn the toxic ground it resides in to a beautiful field of blue. Could the magic of the flower return her mom to herself?
The one issue is that the flowers are found in New Mexico, far from where Natalie is, so how to get the money to go on the trip? Entering the local egg drop contest and it's $500 first prize sounds like the solution to these money issues, but Natalie is no science whiz. With her best friend Twig and science genius in training, Dari by her side there's no way she could lose, right?
Realistic issues, a great format that mirrors a scientific notebook or paper (complete with footnotes!), and a close look at mental health-this is a wonderful story for upper elementary and middle school kids.