Hi, friends! I’ve got an interesting question for you this week.

Do you remember being born? 

I mean the first time you opened your eyes or heard the sound of a voice. The moment you met your mom or your dad for the first time. The day you came home from the hospital and began your life with your family.

Do you remember that day? Or do you only remember the stories you’ve been told by friends and family?

We dragons have long memories, but even mine doesn’t go back that far. And that makes me wonder, What would life look like if I had no one who could tell me any of these things?

What would life be like if it was spent moving from home to home, from momma to momma and not all the houses or mommas were good?

What would happen if you didn’t know where you came from or when the phone would ring and someone would tell that you had to start over in another home with another family all over again?

Would you lose your words? Would you hold on to food in case you came across a day when you didn’t have enough to eat? Could you possibly believe that you weren’t like other people, that you were an only. That you weren’t born, but you came to life some other way?

I ask, because that’s exactly what life is like for Flora and Julian in the book I just read. 

How long is forever?

Forever or for a long, long time by Caela Carter tells the story of Flora, a fourth grader who is doing her best to make sense of the world while trying not to repeat fourth grade for a third time (even if graduating to fifth grade means saying goodbye to her fourth grade teacher who she doesn’t want to leave).

The only constant thing in Flora’s life is Julian. Her brother who is two years younger, but who is in third grade. Flora and Julian are a team. Together from the beginning. Onlies.

They don’t believe they were born like other people, but they have a million and one different theories of how they came into the world. Maybe they came from the sand. Maybe the stork delivered them to the wrong spot. Maybe they formed from our words.

All they know is that in the beginning there was a white house. And there were a lot of houses after that one, some they’ve forgotten. Some they wish they could forget. It took them a long time to find it, but now they have a forever family. A mom who says she’s there for them for always. A dad who adopted them after marrying mom. And Elena.

Out loud, Flora calls mom, “Mom.” In her thoughts, she calls her “Person” because “mom” has been too many different people in her short life. But Person is her person. Forever.

Even though there are hard days, everything seems okay and Flora and Julian begin to trust that forever means forever. Until they discover Person’s been keeping a secret. A secret so big it will completely change their family. 

Now they’re worried that the forever they’ve worked so hard to believe in might not be as long as they thought it would be. That worry starts to tear Flora and Julian apart. 

And so, Flora and Julian set out on a journey with Person to try to trace their missing roots. Person wants to prove they were born. They’re ready to prove that they weren’t. Their life began in a white hall, in a white house, where there was only enough food to fill their hands.

Along the way, Flora will discover that family means something bigger and more precious than just the people who live in the same home. And that love—real love—can’t be divided or lost. It can only be multiplied and grow.

Who is this story for?

I really like that this story is told from Flora’s point of view. She has lots of words she wishes she could use out loud, but when she speaks she struggles to get them out. Because we’re mostly in her head we get to read her thoughts, which are rich, complex, and full of vivid images that anyone can relate to. 

Moms and dads, I think this is a story that you should read first so that you’re ready to help your young reader with any of the feelings or questions the book stirs up. Especially if they’ve had experience in the foster system. As a middle grade book, it’s written with readers between 8 and 12 in mind, but you’ll know better than me if this is one that your reader is ready to tackle. 

Forever or for a long, long time might not be for everyone, but it’s a fantastic story. I give it 3.5 dark chocolate eggs. I don’t know if I’ll ever read it again, but I’ll certainly keep my eye out for other books by Caela Carter in the future.

And now I’m going to go rejoin my family. Maybe I’ll ask mom and dad will tell me the story about the day I was hatched. It’s one of my favorites.

Note: No goods or services were exchanged for this review. The opinions belong solely to the reviewer.