The Ali-O’Connor family is back in this sequel to Sam Makes a Splash and Marina in the Middle, the first two books in the delightful series about two moms and their five kids living on a lagoon on the Jersey shore. This volume centers on 12-year-old Harbor, the oldest child.
Harbor Moore loves her family, but sometimes they can be a bit much, like when they yell too loudly during her basketball games, or when one of her siblings does a science experiment in her gym bag. And why is her sister Sam, who is only four months younger, suddenly hanging out with Harbor’s best friend Sonny?
When Harbor’s dad (who used to be married to Mom) introduces her to his new girlfriend, Dawn, who happens to be coaching an elite basketball camp during the summer, Harbor jumps at the chance to join the camp and stay with him every weekend. She’ll have her own room and some peace and quiet.
She’s happy with the coach and her teammates, and soon realizes she has a crush on the other tall girl on the team, Quinn. Quinn lives with her aunt because her dad is in prison and her mom “isn’t the best at taking care of me and my brother.” Even though her family and Harbor’s are very different from each other, each girl understands what it is like to have to explain her family all the time.
Coach Dawn then asks Harbor if she would be interested in playing on the team year-round. She wants to say yes, even though this would mean living with her dad most of the time. But as the summer goes on, life with her dad isn’t always as blissful as she had hoped, and she struggles to find her real place on the team. Will her siblings treat her like a stranger if she isn’t living with them anymore? What is the right decision for her?
Melleby gives us a thoughtful and nuanced exploration of the transition to young adulthood, with all of its attendant questions about one’s self and one’s place in the world. As in the first two volumes, she also shows the personal and inter-sibling questions and challenges that may arise in a family formed in multiple ways, as well as ones that may happen in families of any type as children grow and change. She weaves in moments that many children in LGBTQ and other “non-traditional” families may recognize, such as being asked intrusive questions about their family. Even Harbor’s dad, who has been pretty accepting of her mom’s coming out and marrying a woman, refers to that woman only by her first name in Harbor’s presence, rather than as Harbor’s “Mama.” It’s a microaggression that clearly irritates Harbor. I love that Melleby doesn’t dwell on “issues,” but nor does she pretend that such issues don’t exist.
I also love that the book gives us perfectly imperfect parents in Mom and Mama. They make mistakes; they lose their tempers; Mom is clearly hurt when Harbor is thinking about staying with Harbor’s dad, Mom’s ex husband. At the same time, however, the book shows us that people and families can recover from such mistakes; apologies can happen and communication be restored. As Mama says at one point, “I love our big, beautiful, blended family. I love how each and every piece came together. But it still leaves room for a lot of hurt and confusion and things that are hard to figure out.” This book—and the whole series—models for both young readers and their parents some ways of doing that figuring. It offers, too, a thoughtful exploration of adolescence while celebrating family in all of its wonderful, messy, silly, aggravating, and loving variety. (Melleby gets bonus points from me, too, for including several mentions of the WNBA and queer mom superstar Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury.) Highly recommended.
Sam, Harbor, and Mom are White. Mama is of Syrian ancestry (which we learned in the first volume), and the twins share her dark hair. Harbor’s dad is White, Dawn is Black, and Quinn is White. Neighbors’ last names reflect a range of ethnic origins.
