Behind Closed Doors

Reviewed by: Kelley Goodfield - SAD # 55, Hiram, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 11, 2017

Review

Josie and Tasha are not exactly friends, but they are both dealing with some tough family issues that they would prefer to keep a secret. Josie is a 15-year-old girl who lives with her mother, an obsessive-compulsive hoarder. Josie has never had a friend over her house and has to shower at school or the community pool because her mother’s hoarding has become so bad that they can’t cook on their stove, see out the windows or use their shower. She can barely fit down the hall to get into her bedroom. Josie wants to run away and have a place of her own. Her paper route helps her buy clothes so she can keep up appearances at school. When Josie’s mother is sent to prison for not paying her taxes, Josie has to figure out how to survive and raise the money to get her out. In the meantime. Tasha has run out of places to stay while trying to get away from her mother’s boyfriend who has started to make sexual advances to Tasha. She ends up running away to Josie’s house. At first, the two are irritated with each other, but eventually they become very close friends as they try to support each other and figure out the mess the adults in their lives have created. The story seems a bit forced in some places but the struggles of both girls will resonate with teens.

Overall Book Score: good