Winner of a 2024 PNBA Book Award Winner of the 2023 IODE Violet Downey Book Award Winner of the 2023 Jean Little First-Novel Award Winner of the 2023 Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People Winner of the 2023 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award  ★ “Readers will be left with a rich image of Mia’s world and the family and people that surround her as well as a strong sense of how culture and class impact people’s experiences. A touching exploration of identity and culture.”― Kirkus Reviews Mia knows her family is very different than her best friend's. In the 1980s, the coastal fishing town of Prince Rupert is booming. There is plenty of sockeye salmon in the nearby ocean, which means the fishermen are happy and there is plenty of work at the cannery. Eleven-year-old Mia and her best friend, Lara, have known each other since kindergarten. Like most tweens, they like to hang out and compare notes on their crushes and dream about their futures. But even though they both live in the same cul-de-sac, Mia’s life is very different from her non-Indigenous, middle-class neighbor. Lara lives with her mom, her dad and her little brother in a big house, with two cars in the drive and a view of the ocean. Mia lives in a shabby wartime house that is full of relatives―her churchgoing grandmother, binge-drinking mother and a rotating number of aunts, uncles and cousins. Even though their differences never seemed to matter to the two friends, Mia begins to notice how adults treat her differently, just because she is Indigenous. Teachers, shopkeepers, even Lara’s parents―they all seem to have decided who Mia is without getting to know her first. The epub edition of this title is fully accessible. ★ “Readers will be left with a rich image of Mia’s world and the family and people that surround her as well as a strong sense of how culture and class impact people’s experiences. A touching exploration of identity and culture.” ― Kirkus Reviews, starred review “Like a photo album but in text rather than in pictures…providing the reader with a layered, nuanced picture of Mia’s life.” ― Booklist “Easy to read but poetic and focused…This story, while fiction, rings true.” ― The Horn Book “Heartfelt and moving…Recommended.” ― CM: Canadian Review of Materials “Authentic and honest…Excellent for upper elementary and middle school students, either in a literature circle or independently.” ― Children's Literature “Recommended.” ― School Library Connection “A terrific addition to any school library. touches on themes of prejudice, racism, and the intergenerational family impacts of residential schools while being told in an approachable way for students. The characters in this book are realistic and complicated and leave the reader with lasting impressions of life in Prince Rupert in the 1980s.” ― Indigenous Books for Schools “This is one of the highlights for the last five years. I've read this a few times and each time I see more and more in it. I just think, isn't it wonderful that we have this author who has written a beautiful book ― and has not followed the same pattern of every coming-of-age middle-grade book? She has written in her own style that I think is quite spectacular.” -- Ken Setterington, CBC's The Next Chapter, children's book panel Can this friendship weather the seasons? It’s the 1980s. Mia and her best friend, Lara, have known each other since kindergarten. Now in middle school, they like to compare notes on their crushes, have sleepovers and dream about their futures. But even though they both live in the same neighborhood in their coastal fishing town, Mia’s life is very different from her friend’s. Lara lives with her parents and brother in a big house with two cars in the driveway and a view of the ocean. Mia lives in a shabby wartime house that is full of relatives―her churchgoing grandmother, party-going mother and a rotating number of aunts, uncles and cousins. Even though these differences have never mattered to the two friends, Mia begins to notice how people treat her differently just because she is Indigenous. Teachers, shopkeepers and even Lara’s parents all seem to have decided who Mia is without getting to know her first. Kim Spencer  is an award-winning, bestselling author. Her debut novel,  Weird Rules to Follow,  received a  Kirkus  starred review and was a 2023 Governor General's Literary Award finalist. The book won multiple awards, including a 2023 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, a 2023 Jean Little First-Novel Award and a 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Award. It was also on the IBBY 2024 Honour List and the USBBY Outstanding International Books List in 2023. Kim is from the Gitxaała Nation and lives in northwest BC.