Published by Wendy Lamb Books
Summary: 12-year-old Lou loves to build, and dreams of creating a tiny house on the land left to her by her father, who died before she was born. She lives with her Filipino grandmother and mother, sharing a room with her mom, who is finishing up her nursing degree. When her mother gets a job offer out of state, Lou fears moving away from her close-knit family, her land, and her dream of building her own tiny house. She decides if she can secretly build the house, it will convince her mom to stay. Enlisting the help of cousins and friends–including a boy she’s beginning to have a crush on–Lou tries to get her project going, but keeps getting thwarted. Time is running out as moving day approaches, and Lou has to face the fact that her life may be changing in ways that she can’t control. 240 pages; grades 4-7.
Pros: Lou has an interesting cultural heritage and an unusual passion that readers will find intriguing. Although her dream of a tiny house is a unique one, her issues with friends and family are familiar and will ring true to kids.
Cons: I was disappointed that in the end, Lou’s friends and family did more of the building than she did.
