But Fern’s other concerns are much more difficult to handle. For one thing, she feels invisible in her family of five: in addition to her Mom and Dad, there’s Sara, who has graduated high school and is working at Harry’s; Holden, who is just entering high school; and Charlie, the four-year-old who is way too clingy, always wanting to play with “Ferny’ and dragging his dirty, tattered doll over to her. And then there’s her family’s reaction to Holden, who is in the process of coming out as gay. Fern sees no problem with Holden’s sexuality, but is immensely troubled at others’ reactions to him: from her father, who ignores the issue until a new, older boyfriend of Holden’s appears, to Sara, who teases Holden in a attempt to get him to come out of the closet, to the bullies on the bus, who torment Holden, and then, by extension, Fern. This may seem to be enough of a family issue for one fairly slim book to cover. But the most difficult challenge for Fern’s family is to come, one that will redefine who they are and lead Fern to grapple with guilt, loss, and growing up and moving forward despite that loss.