Articles

“The Best Answer” is the fourth book of the four-part “The Joy of Avery Series” by foster/adoptive grandmother Rhonda Wagner. Avery is Wagner’s granddaughter and her feelings form the basis of the book. Her family has welcomed a new baby from foster care and as they navigate the challenges of caring for him, Avery keeps […]

As the author shares in the opening paragraphs of the book, “Murder, Motherhood, and Miraculous Grace,” a simple yes in 1996 forever changed the lives of Debra and Al Moerke. The family were veteran foster parents of 14 years when they welcomed a newborn into their family and then shortly thereafter that child’s siblings. In […]

Raising Kids and Teens with FASD: Advice and Strategies to Help Your Family to Thrive! By Barb Clark Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 2025, ISBN: 978-1-80501-390-7, 237 pages, $17.95 When Barb Clark and her husband Michael adopted 5-week-old Akila in 1999, they thought it would be the start of building their family. Instead, Akila’s diagnosis of Fetal […]

Written in simple words and short sentences, “Tuesday’s Bear: A Tale of the Lost and Found” delivers a poignant message of hope and redemption for its readers. Writer Alexandra Davis, who has also written an article in this FFT issue (read ‘The Hard Talks,’ Page 50), creates an adorable protagonist, Bear who is lost and […]

Jane Austen’s famous literary novel, “Persuasion,” is brought to life for toddlers in this board book by Jennifer Adams. The illustrations by Alison Oliver highlight the predominant color palette of England during the early 19th century. The characters are depicted in a manner that brings out their personalities without any heavy text. Adams, who is […]

Before We Were YoursBy Lisa Wingate This New York Times Bestseller is a historical fiction novel based on the Tennessee Children’s Home Society operated by Georgia Tann from the 1920s to the 1950s in Memphis. “Before We Were Yours” tells the story of Rill Foss and her siblings who were stolen from their parents and […]

Written in a simple style that would resonate with school children and adults alike, this book follows the journey of Malcolm Montgomery, a seventh grader. Waiting to be adopted, Malcolm is described at the outset as, “If there were a prize for being unlucky, Malcolm would’ve won it.” Having lived with nine different foster families, […]

After entering foster care at 3 years old, Charell Star spent many of her childhood years fitting herself into other people’s spaces. So, when she awoke alone in the quiet of her New York condo on her 30th birthday, she was struck by the realization that she’d finally fulfilled an enduring wish: At last, she […]