A New York Times Editors' Choice
A Read With Jenna Book Club Pick
Sam is seven years old and living in Beverly, Massachusetts. She adores her father, though he isn't around much. Her mother struggles to make ends meet and never fails to remind Sam that if she studies hard and acts responsibly, adulthood will be more secure and comfortable. But comfort and security are of little interest to Sam. All she wants is to climb. Hanging from the highest limbs of the tallest trees, scaling the side of a building, Sam feels free. As a teenager, Sam resents her father's erratic behavior, but she grieves after he's gone. And she resists her mother's attempts to plan for her future, even as that future draws closer.