An Occasionally Happy Family by Cliff Burke
Published by Clarion Books on May 18, 2021
ISBN: 0358325676
Pages: 224
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

 Theo is off on a family vacation with his dad and older sister to Big Bend National Park in western Texas. It’s been two years since his mom died and this is their first vacation without their mother. Theo’s dad awkwardly reveals that the real purpose of the vacation is to introduce his new girlfriend to the family which prompts Theo to finally face his grief. This is a touching and humorous upper-elementary/middle-grade novel. With Theo and his family stuck in their grieving, the secondary characters shine a little more. Theo is an artist working on a graphic novel and he uses his writing to process his feelings.

Reviewed by Karen Sandlin Silverman, Mt. Ararat Middle School, Topsham