The How & the Why
HarperCollins · Paperback · February 23, 2021
"Cynthia Hand is the master of pulling at your heartstrings.
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- Who it’s for
- An adoption story shaped by unanswered questions, family ties, and letters written eighteen years earlier.
- Genres
- YA Adoption Stories, Letters & Diaries for Teens, Coming of Age
- Published
- HarperCollins, February 23, 2021
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For younger readers: Violets Are Blue, Caprice
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Start with this bookAbout this book
"Cynthia Hand is the master of pulling at your heartstrings. The How & the Why tells both sides of an adoption story with love, compassion, and care." —Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of Letters to the Lost A poignant exploration of family and the ties that bind, from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand. Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for; they’ve given Cass a life she wouldn’t trade for the world.
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She has everything she needs—but she has questions, too. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents can’t answer, no matter how much they love her. But eighteen years ago, someone wrote Cass a series of letters. And they may just hold the answers Cass has been searching for. Alternating between Cass’s search for answers and letters from the pregnant teen who placed her for adoption, this emotionally resonant narrative is the perfect read for fans of Nina LaCour and Jandy Nelson.
Letters and Belonging
An adoption story shaped by unanswered questions, family ties, and letters written eighteen years earlier.
Come here for
- Questions of identity, family, and where you come from
- Two perspectives connected through a series of letters
Expect
- An alternating narrative between Cass’s search and the letters
- An emotionally resonant coming-of-age read
Where it sits
| YA Adoption Stories | 99% |
|---|---|
| Coming of Age | 80% |
| Letters & Diaries for Teens | 66% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Coming of Age
- Letters & Diaries for Teens
- YA Adoption Stories
- YA Stories About Parents
Show all 8 publisher categories
- YA Sibling Stories
- YA Blended Family Stories
- Contemporary YA Romance
- Historical YA Romance
- Authors
- Cynthia Hand
- Publisher
- HarperCollins
- Published
- February 23, 2021
- Format
- Paperback
- Reading lane
- Coming of Age