About Stephanie Faris
Stephanie Faris is the author of 12 books for young readers, as well as one of seven authors who wrote Best. Night. Ever.: A Story Told From Seven Points of View. Her latest middle grade, The Popularity Code, released in April 2020. She’s also the author of the upcoming chapter book series Gabby Ghost Hunter, now available from Capstone. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, she worked in information technology for the State of Tennessee. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee with her husband, a sales executive.
I never imagined, when our house was flooded in 2010, that I’d someday write a book about it.
But that was the event that inspired Finding Normal.
We lived near The Opry in Nashville when multiple days of rain filled the local dam. To reduce the impact, the Corps of Engineers made the calculated move of releasing a substantial amount of water. Some neighborhoods in the greater Nashville area would flood, but it would be less devastating than letting Mother Nature take its course.
It took several months to replace the walls, flooring, and all our appliances, and we did most of the work ourselves. It just didn’t make sense to go into debt to rebuild a house that no longer held its original value.
One thing that I remember most from that time, though, was how the neighborhood came together. Instead of simply waving to each other as we came and went, we hung out on the front lawn, having conversations and sharing resources.
That was the vibe I wanted to capture in Finding Normal. In the book, 12-year-old Temple Baxter organizes a fundraiser to help her entire community. Her initial goal is to help her own family get the money they need, but over time, she begins to think more about how the money will help her neighbors.
Of course, the biggest lesson (which we learned, too) is that “things” aren’t what really matter in life. With all that was happening, we still had our health and our family. That’s a lesson I tend to forget these days, but writing Finding Normal helped remind me.
I loved writing Finding Normal, and I can’t wait for readers to meet Temple, her family, and her friends!
Cover art by Devin Elle Kurtz
Title Finding Normal
Authors Stephanie Faris
Target Audience Middle Grade
Publication Date February 20th 2024 by Aladdin
Find It On Goodreads ● Amazon ● Blackwell’s ● Barnes & Noble ● IndieBound
Perfect for fans of Jamie Sumner and Barbara Dee, this heartfelt middle grade novel about friendship, belonging, and the power of community follows a girl whose family is uprooted after a flood destroys their house.
After a horrible storm floods her neighborhood, twelve-year-old Temple and her family are forced to move to a new town. They are some of the lucky ones, able to secure temporary housing relatively quickly. But Temple doesn’t feel so lucky starting over at a brand-new school halfway through the year and feeling a weird spotlight on her family’s situation from her new classmates. At home, things aren’t any better as her family struggles to adjust while figuring out how they can afford to rebuild.
When Temple sees a flyer for a local fundraiser, she decides she can do the same thing for her family. It would get her one big step closer to her old school, friends, and life. After enlisting the help of some new friends, Temple kicks her plan into action, quickly realizing it needs to be much bigger to help not only her family, but the dozens of others affected by the flood.
But adding the pressures of the fundraiser to the strain of grappling with all the recent changes may be more than Temple can handle. As she searches for a return to normal, can she figure out what’s truly important?
One lucky reader will win a copy of Finding Normal! The giveaway will run from September 18 – October 2 and the book will be awarded when advance reader copies become available.
One Response
What a gorgeous cover and this sounds like a powerful story.