I am generally intrigued by stories that involve relationships, especially romances, where the outcome is hopeful and optimistic. Tish Cohen’s Inside Out Girl (Perennial: HarperCollins) is more and less than I had expected. It is a wonderful read for anyone who finds life often serving up more “droppings” than we think we can manage.

Olivia Bean is ten years old and fascinated with all things rat-related, especially their elimination processes (or droppings). Olivia has NLD, nonverbal learning disorder. She depends on verbal communication over facial expression or intonation, over all physical and spacial cues. It makes life challenging for her widower father, Len. Rachel Berman is a divorced mother of two who enters the Beans’ world and has her own turned upside down. Reading is about feeling, about learning. You’ll do both if you pick up Inside Out Girl—and be glad of it.