The List of Things That Will Not Change, by Rebecca Stead

The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


One of my favorite books over the holidays, this work of children’s fiction took me back to what it feels like to be ten years old and entangled in family changes and school conflicts. I followed young Bea’s struggle to adapt to her parent’s divorce and her father’s upcoming marriage to his boyfriend, Jesse, with a mix of smiles, trepidation, and sympathy. On the surface, Bea has a great relationship with the two men and her mother, but is prone to outbursts of anger and rash actions. Her therapist, Miriam, helps her find words and images for her feelings, with the aid of a jar of gummi bears. Bea hopes her desire to have a sister will be fulfilled in the person of Jesse’s daughter, Sonia. But there are a few bumps in the road to their new sisterhood. And of course there is an annoying lunch-mate at school; a cousin, Angelica, who ignores her for new friends on the family vacation; and a troublesome relative who rejects her dad and Jesse’s relationship. School activities loom large in Bea’s daily life, with the usual small shames and victories, such as Bea’s struggle to make butter for the “colonial breakfast,” and the bucket of oysters Jesse obligingly brings to class, which the students at first refuse to eat. While at times her young friends come across as older than their years, I loved Bea’s whole-hearted embrace of life – and the healing moments of forgiveness and reconciliation in her narrative.



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