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Lawless Spaces

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About The Book

Perfect for fans of Deb Caletti, this “powerful, absorbing, and beautiful” (Booklist) coming-of-age novel in verse follows a teen girl who connects with the women of her maternal line through their journals and comes to better understand her fraught relationship with her mother.

Mimi’s relationship with her mother has always been difficult. But lately, her mother has been acting more withdrawn than usual, leaving Mimi to navigate the tricky world of turning sixteen alone. What she doesn’t expect is her mother’s advice to start journaling—just like all the woman in her family before her. It’s a tradition, she says. Expected.

But Mimi takes to poetry and with it, a way to write down the realities of growing into a woman, the pains of online bullying, and the new experiences of having a boyfriend. And all in the shadows of a sexual assault case that is everywhere on the news—a case that seems to specifically rattle her mother.

Trying to understand her place in the world, Mimi dives into the uncovered journals of her grandmother, great-grandmother, and beyond. She immerses herself in each of their lives, learns of their painful stories and their beautiful sprits. And as Mimi grows closer to each of these women, she starts to forge her own path. But it isn’t until her mother’s story comes to light that Mimi learns about the unyielding bonds of family and the relentless spirit of womanhood.

About The Author

Corey Ann Haydu is the author of OCD Love StoryRules for Stealing StarsEventown, and several other critically acclaimed young adult and children’s novels. She currently teaches at the MFA Writing for Children program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and daughter. Learn more at CoreyAnnHaydu.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (January 17, 2023)
  • Length: 512 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781534437074
  • Grades: 9 and up
  • Ages: 14 - 99
  • Lexile ® 990L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Awards and Honors

  • Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best
  • TAYSHAS Reading List (TX)
  • Kansas NEA Reading Circle List Starred High School Title
  • ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Selection

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More books from this author: Corey Ann Haydu