With one slip on an icy patch, Jake’s mom breaks her leg, and that sudden, severe injury has an initially frightening impact on the ten-year-old’s life. Jake’s father died years earlier, and Jake and his mother live alone. Her accident necessitates a hospital stay, and she’ll require assistance after she’s able to return home. A grandfather he barely knows arrives to lend a hand, and their next-door neighbor, Mrs. Buttermark, proves a true friend as she helps Jake navigate his way through the first few difficult days. With her support, Jake and his reserved grandfather begin to develop a relationship in this novel set during the Christmas season. When an aunt and his mother’s best friend also rally around, Jake realizes he has the support of a wonderful family comprised of relatives and friends. Despite an unfortunately confusing passage of time in the opening scene and the start of chapter one, this novel is a realistic exploration of how scary it can be for a child when something happens to that one adult who cares for him or her, and a warm, affirming look at an expansive idea of family. (Ages 7–11)