{"product_id":"how-to-make-friends-with-the-dark-isbn-9781101934784","title":"How to Make Friends with the Dark","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eGirl in Pieces\u003c\/i\u003e comes a novel about love and loss and learning how to continue when it feels like you're surrounded by darkness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A rare and powerful novel.\" --Karen M. McManus, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eOne of Us Is Lying \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eTwo Can Keep a Secret\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTiger's life changed with a simple phone call. Her mother has died. That's when darkness descended on her otherwise average life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTiger's mother never talked about her father, and with no grandparents or aunts or uncles, her world is packed into a suitcase and moved to a foster home. And another. And another. Until hope surfaces in the shape of . . . a sister?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSometimes family comes in forms you don't recognize. But can Tiger learn to make friends with the darkness before it swallows her whole?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Stunning and beautifully written.\"-\u003ci\u003eHelloGiggles\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Breathtaking and heartbreaking.\" --Jennifer Niven,\u003ci\u003e New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eAll the Bright Places\u003c\/i\u003e“\u003cb\u003eA rare and powerful novel\u003c\/b\u003e [that] dives deep into the heart of grief and healing with honesty, empathy, and grace.” —\u003cb\u003eKaren M. McManus\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eOne of Us Is Lying\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eIn this raw, powerful, and heartbreaking meditation on loss and grief, Glasgow writes with unflinching beauty.\u003c\/b\u003e We meet Tiger Tolliver at her most broken—at her darkest moment—and yet, somehow, [she] teaches us how to let the light in.” —\u003cb\u003eJulie Buxbaum\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eTell Me Three Things\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eB\u003c\/i\u003ereathtaking and heartbreaking, and I loved it with all my heart\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003cb\u003eJennifer Niven\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eAll the Bright Places\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eA bold, fearlessly crafted story of loss and love.\u003c\/b\u003e Glasgow’s prose commands the page with its trademark beauty and grace, and Tiger Tolliver is a character readers will root for every step of the way.” —\u003cb\u003eCourtney Summers\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eSadie\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “Glasgow is the rare type of skilled storyteller that knows you have to hurt your characters before putting them back together. \u003cb\u003eI loved every word of this lyrical and devastating novel.\u003c\/b\u003e” —\u003cb\u003eKara Thomas\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Cheerleaders\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eGripping, powerful, and full of truth\u003c\/b\u003e.” —\u003cb\u003eKami Garcia\u003c\/b\u003e, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling coauthor of \u003ci\u003eBeautiful Creatures\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A \u003cb\u003evisceral, gut-wrenching, and heartbreaking\u003c\/b\u003e take on the grieving process.” —\u003cb\u003eTiffany Jackson\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eMonday’s Not Coming\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eMagnificent. A beautiful, heartbreaking alleluia to survival.\u003c\/b\u003e” —\u003cb\u003eBrendan Kiely\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eAll American Boys\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “A book as fierce, tender, and rare as its aptly named heroine, Tiger. \u003cb\u003eA gorgeously nuanced meditation on grief and family, and the incredible love that can pull you through the darkest of times.\u003c\/b\u003e” —Meg Leder, author of \u003ci\u003eLetting Go of Gravity\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eBeautifully written and profoundly moving.\u003c\/b\u003e From page one, Tiger Tolliver grabs your heart with her pain, her courage, her humor—and she doesn’t let go.” —\u003cb\u003eAlyssa Sheinmel\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eA Danger to Herself and Others\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eSo vulnerable and real\u003c\/b\u003e….Glasgow’s prose begs and pleads and grasps at the light, like a prayer.” —Lygia Day Peñaflor, author of \u003ci\u003eAll of This Is True\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “\u003cb\u003eLyrical, devastating, witty and raw\u003c\/b\u003e—this is Glasgow at her best.” —\u003cb\u003eBonnie-Sue Hitchcock\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThe Smell of Other People’s Houses\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e “This story hauls you into its heart to live the pain in all its careening, messy, and miraculous glory. A \u003cb\u003ebrilliant, honest, raw\u003c\/b\u003e look at what it really means to lose someone essential and make grudging peace with what is gained in the exchange.” —\u003cb\u003eEstelle Laure\u003c\/b\u003e, author of \u003ci\u003eThis Raging Light\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003cb\u003eStunning and beautifully written.\u003c\/b\u003e\"-\u003ci\u003eHelloGiggles\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “A \u003cb\u003epowerful\u003c\/b\u003e reminder that no amount of depression or isolation is insurmountable for strong, resilient women.” –\u003ci\u003eForbes \u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e ★ \"An \u003cb\u003ehonest and extremely harrowing\u003c\/b\u003e read.\"-\u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e, Starred Review \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003cb\u003eVisceral and traumatic, pulsing with ache\u003c\/b\u003e,...[this is] \u003cb\u003ea gritty, raw account of surviving tragedy\u003c\/b\u003e one minute at a time.\"—\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"\u003cb\u003e[A] standout\u003c\/b\u003e....Tiger’s distinctive, haunting voice will be hard to forget.\"—\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003eKathleen Glasgow's first novel was the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling novel \u003ci\u003eGirl in Pieces\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003ci\u003eHow to Make Friends with the Dark\u003c\/i\u003e is her second novel. She lives and writes in Tucson, Arizona. To learn more about Kathleen and her writing, visit her website, kathleenglasgowbooks.com, or follow @kathglasgow on Twitter and @misskathleenglasgow on Instagram.\u003cp\u003eI find the bills by accident, stuffed underneath a pile of underwear in the dresser my mother and I share. Instead of clean socks, my hands come away with a thick stack of envelopes marked Urgent, Last Notice, Contact Immediately.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy heart thuds. We don’t have a lot, we never have, but we’ve made do with what my mom makes as the county Bookmobile lady and from helping out at Bonita’s daycare. Come summer, we’ve got the Jellymobile, but that’s another story.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou don’t hide things in a drawer unless you’re worried.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMom’s been on the couch since yesterday morning, cocooned in a black-and-red wool blanket, sleeping off a headache.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Mom,” I say, loudly. “Mommy.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo answer. I check the crooked clock on the wall. Forty minutes until zero period.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe’re what my mom likes to call “a well-oiled, good-looking, and good-smelling machine.” But I need the other half of my machine to beep and whir at me, and to do all that other stuff moms are supposed to do. If I don’t have her, I don’t have anything. It’s not like with my friend Cake, who has two parents and an uncle living with her. If my mom is sick, or down, I’m shit out of luck for help and companionship.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd rides to school.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Mom!” I scream as loud as I can, practically ripping my throat in the process. I shove the bills back beneath the stack of underwear and head to the front room.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe scream worked. She’s sitting up, the wool blanket crumpled on the floor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Good morning to you, too,” she mumbles thickly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer short hair is matted on one side and spiky on the other. She looks around, like she recognizes nothing, like she’s an alien suddenly dropped into our strange, earthly atmosphere.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe blinks once, twice, three times, then says, “Tiger, baby, get me some coffee, will you?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“There’s no coffee.” I use my best accusatory voice. I have to be a little mean. I mean, come on. It looks like we’re in dire straits here, plus, a couple other things, like Kai, are currently burning a hole in my brain. I need Mom-things to be happening.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“There’s nothing,” I say. “Well, peanut butter. You can have a big fat hot cup of steaming peanut butter.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy mom smiles, which kills me, because I can’t resist it, and everything I thought I might say about the stack of unpaid bills kind of flies out the window. Things will be fixed now. Things will be okay, like always.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe can beep and whir again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMom gets up and walks to the red coffeemaker. Coffee is my mother’s drug. That and cigarettes, no matter how much Bonita and Cake and I tell her they’re disgusting and deadly. When I was little, I used to wake up at the crack of dawn, ready to play with her, just her, before she’d drag me to the daycare, and I always had to wait until she had her first cup of coffee and her first cigarette. It was agony waiting for that stupid machine to glug out a cup while my hands itched with Legos or pick-up sticks.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe heaves a great sigh. “Shit,” she says. “Baby! I better get my ass in gear, huh?” She’s standing at the sink, trying to turn on the faucet, but nothing is coming out. “The water’s still crappy? I was hoping that was just a bad dream.” She nods to the faucet.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Pacheco isn’t returning my calls,” I say. Mr. Pacheco is our landlord and not a very nice one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eShe murmurs, “I guess I’ll have to deal with that today, too.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI’m silent. Is she talking about the bills? Maybe I should--\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMom holds out her arms. “Come here, baby. Here. Come to me.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI run so fast I almost slip on the threadbare wool rug on the floor and I go flying against her, my face landing just under her collarbone. Her lips graze the top of my head.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMom trembles. Her shirt’s damp, like she’s been sweating. She must need a cigarette. “I’m sorry,” she whispers into my hair. “I don’t know what happened. What a headache. Bonita leaving, the daycare closing. I just . . . it was a lot all at once, and I guess I stressed. Did you even have any dinner last night?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI had a pack of lime Jell-O, and my stomach is screaming for food, but I don’t tell her this. I just keep nuzzling her.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy mother pulls away and laughs. “Grace,” she says. Hearing my real name makes me cringe. “Gracie, that pajama top doesn’t quite fit you anymore, baby doll.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI pull defensively at the hem of the T-shirt and cross my arms over my chest.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy mom sighs. I know what’s coming, so I prepare my I’m bored face.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Tiger,” she says firmly. “You’re a beautiful girl. I was just teasing, which I shouldn’t have done. You should never hide you. You’re growing into something wondrous. Don’t be ashamed.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWondrous. She and Bonita are crazy for the affirmation talk. Cake likes to say their mission in life is to Build a Better Girl Than They Were. “You know,” she said once, “their moms probably put them on diets of cottage cheese before prom and told them to keep their legs closed around boys.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI roll my eyes and groan. “You have to tell me those things,” I answer. “You’re my mom. It’s in your job description.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer face softens and I feel guilty. Once I overheard her say to Bonita, “I try to tell Tiger all the things I never got to hear, you know?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd I always want to know, what didn’t she get to hear? Because she’s tight-lipped about her early, non-Mom, kidlike days. Her parents died when she was in college, and she doesn’t like to talk about them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMy mother rummages around in the cabinets and somehow, somewhere, finds a lone can of Coke, even though I scoured the cabinets last night for spare eats. She takes a long, grateful sip and then wipes her mouth. She fishes in her purse for a cigarette.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Go get dressed, Tiger. I’ll drop you at school and then I’ve got a lot of things to do. Today is going to be one hell of a day, I promise. Food, Pacheco, the works. I’ll make up for being out of it, okay?”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Okay.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMom heads out in the backyard to smoke and I hit my bedroom, where I frantically try to find something suitable in my closet of mostly unsuitable clothing. My mother thinks finding clothes in boxes on the side of the road is creative and fun and interesting and environmentally conscious (“One person’s trash is another person’s treasure!”) and not actually a by-product of our thin finances, but sometimes I wish I went to school dressed like any other girl, in leggings and a tee, maybe, with cute strappy sandals to highlight pink-polished toenails. Instead, I mostly look like a creature time forgot, dressed in old clothes that look like, well, old clothes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI drag on a skirt and a faded T-shirt and jam a ball cap on my head, because the water in the shower is starting to look suspicious, too, so a shower is out of the question. I brush my teeth like a demon in the bathroom and splash water on my face.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThen, like I always do, I allow myself a minimum of three seconds to wonder: Who the hell is that? Where did she come from?\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBecause the dark and straight hair is nothing like my mother’s short, light mop. My freckles look like scattered dirt next to her creamy, blemish-free face.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSo much of me is from The Person Who Shall Not Be Named. So much of me is unknown.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut here I am, and for now I need to get my mother in gear, get to school, make it through zero period and the little five-day-a-week shit-show I like to call “The Horror of Lupe Hidalgo,” which, if I survive, leads to Bio, and to Kai Henderson, the very thought of whom makes my heart start to pound like a stupid, lovesick drum, and who is one of the things I need to talk to my mother about.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ember","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46299686043877,"sku":"NP9781101934784","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781101934784.jpg?v=1767729440","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/how-to-make-friends-with-the-dark-isbn-9781101934784","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}