Review | Maid for It

Summary: Maid for It

After years of dealing with opioid addiction, Franny’s mom is finally sober and on the right track with a cleaning job and a cozy apartment upstairs from a laundromat. But then she gets in an accident and has to be prescribed opioids again, sending Franny into a frenzy. Franny starts doing her mom’s cleaning jobs behind her back — even blackmailing a school rival into working with her — to ensure they don’t run out of money. But she soon learns that worrying about adult problems isn’t her job.

The Good

If you’ve been following this blog, you’ll know that I’ve read and loved everything by Jamie Sumner, and this one is no different. Her writing is reliably engaging, and all her stories hit the ground running, hooking you with a strong voice right off the bat. Franny is a child who’s been forced to grow up too quickly since her mom has had an addiction since she was five. She makes lists to stay in control of her schedule and help out at home too.

Recently, there have been more stories about kids whose parents are addicts, and this one doesn’t focus on the discovery point or even the initial recovery but shows what happens years after the parent begins on the path to recovery. We meet Franny’s mom’s sponsor Mimi, who owns the laundromat above where Franny and her mom live, and she and Franny have a sweet integenerational friendship.

The book also takes us into Franny’s school life as she finally makes a real friend in Sloan, even though it all begins with blackmail. Franny also may or may not like Noah, a Black boy in her class whom she also befriends. The cleaning scenes provide a peek at what life is like for people who clean houses and could make for an interesting discussion.

This book examines how challenging it can be for families dealing with financial difficulties. I liked the perspective from a character whose family is barely making ends meet. Once Franny reflects on how useless the Starbucks gift cards her mom’s customers gift her are, musing that they need to pay their bills, not buy coffee.

Finally, this book doesn’t shy away from portraying the struggle on the road to recovery from addiction. Franny spies on her mom’s AA meetings and sees members sometimes in bad shape (while keeping the content age-appropriate). There’s also some information about the difference between “uppers” and “oxy” and how they affect users.

Overall: Maid for It

Maid for It is an informative, gripping, and accessible middle grade book about living with a parent recovering from addiction. This one is a page-turner — I read it in one sitting! Sumner does a great job tackling important issues like poverty, classism, and drug misuse and presenting everything in an age-appropriate fashion for middle schoolers. If you’re looking for books about parents with addiction, this is a great pick.

My Rating

Content Notes

Here are some specifics to know about the content.

Content Warnings

• Death: None
• Alcohol/substance abuse: Parent in recovery from opioid addiction. A child witnesses AA meetings and sees a character under the influence.

Diversity

• Ethnic: Noah is Black, others are cued white.
• Sexual orientation: Noah has two moms.

Recommended for ages: 9+

Good for kids who like:

• Sumner’s other books, especially Tune It Out
• Violets Are Blue by Barbara Dee
• Realistic fiction
• Stories about unlikely friendships
• Books with crushes and romance

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Publisher Details

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More Book Reviews

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• The Hurricane Girls by Kimberly Willis Holt
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