Forget Me Not

"Well, Poppies don't belong with Roses."

This book is about a young girl, with Tourette's syndrome, who is uprooted frequently, every time her mother ends a relationship. She has been told by her mother, and other adults, to try to hide her tics. But that is impossible! Walking into her new classroom she starts making noises, clapping her hands and tapping her toes. Everyone is looking at her. Out of class other students start mocking and teasing her. Calli’s neighbor, Jinsong, is also a classmate. At the apartment, when she was moving in, they became fast friends. He said ‘Calli is like a 2000-piece jigsaw puzzle that I want to put together. There are so many questions I want to ask.’ But at school he reflects “How I sit in the corner like a blob of strawberry Jello, listening to it all, but saying nothing.” Both are trying to figure out where they belong, how to balance friendships in and out of school, as well as, the expectations and behaviors of others. This story moves along quickly, but was able to convey the confusion and angst of youth trying to fit in. I borrowed this Title from Overdrive as an Audiobook, but it is also available in print form.