As chronicled in The Way a Door Closes (Henry Holt, 2003), thirteen-year-old C. J.’s world was turned upside down when his father walked out on their family. Since then, C. J. has taken on the role of night watchman at their house, making sure that everyone is safe and sound. When C. J.’s father returns to their lives, C. J. is not sure he can trust him in the role he abandoned. Told in powerful and accessible poems, and illustrated with E. B. Lewis’s tender and metaphoric watercolors, the seasons and emotions of C. J.’s year cycle through. Hope Anita Smith soundly portrays anger, fear, and hope in this second volume about an African American family learning to heal. (Ages 11–15)