Very in Pieces

In this coming-of-age novel perfect for fans of Susane Colasanti and Jandy Nelson, a straight-A student in a family of free-spirited artists must face the hard truths about those she loves most.

Very Sayles-Woodruff could find the value of x with her eyes closed . . . but interpreting her mother's renowned paintings or her famous grandmother's poems don't come as easily. Even her younger sister, Ramona, has the same artistic leanings as the rest of their family. Very has always been the dependable, responsible one—until her grandmother becomes terminally ill, causing all of the pieces of Very's once-structured life to come crashing down. Now she's cast aside her steady boyfriend and started an unexpected fling with Dominic, a rebellious art student with a bad reputation.

Things at home have also taken a turn. Very's mother drinks all day, her father is never around, and Ramona is constantly skipping school. And that's when the sculpture appears. Out of...