Sharmar Maxwell's enchanting narrative introduces readers to Lori, a young girl whose unwavering spirit shines through even the toughest circumstances. As Lori navigates the challenges of a complex family situation, her remarkable strength of character becomes a guiding light, inspiring young readers to face life's trials with determination.

From the moment I started reading, I was drawn into Lori's world – a world of challenges, courage, and the magic of resilience. Lori's story isn't just about her; it's a story that speaks to all of us who have faced difficulties in life.

As Lori faces a tough family situation, her strength and determination shine brightly. Sharmar Maxwell's words paint a vivid picture of Lori's emotions and experiences, making it easy to connect with her journey. With every page, I found myself cheering for Lori, celebrating her triumphs, and empathizing with her struggles. This book is a powerful reminder that we all have the strength within us to overcome obstacles and embrace our true selves.

While the story has an important message, I just couldn't recommend this one to kids. It is such a negative story with a slightly positive ending. And while I understand there are children who experience this sort of abuse, I just don't think many kids would enjoy reading this. The illustrations themselves were fine, however, often the images didn't match the tone of the story.

This book is about Lori. She is part of a big family (five siblings), her dad is absent, and her mom is manipulative and mean. I feel like this book is encouraging kids to 'tough it out' in bad situations. Until she is 16, it seems like Lori does nothing and says nothing to anyone (teachers, other adults in her life) to get help. Where is the message to reach out to trusted adults?

I'm sorry, I would not recommend this book for children. The messages at the end are positive, and the affirmations at the end of the book are great, but the message I hear - and I'd be afraid many children would hear - is that you just have to suck it up. It's not a healthy message to send our kids. ☹️

This story is about an important issue, since the subject of toxic parenting is certainly one that needs to be addressed. The impacts are lasting, and can be very damaging for an adult who has experienced this as a child.

Lori is a child who not only has to deal with an absent father and a manipulative mother, but also 4 other siblings who are neither nice to her nor willing to take responsibility for their own household chores, which Lori is then expected to do.

The illustrations in the story are really cute and the messages are important. Nevertheless, there is a lot of text here relative to actual story telling.

The story logic could be tightened as well. It would be just as effective to have Lori be the odd one out of a set of triplets, and the additional baby seems "extra". Plus, it's hard not to feel sorry for a woman, however manipulative, who is dealing with a set of quintuplets and a baby as a single parent!

While I appreciate what the story is trying to do, I think it could be made a lot more effective with some stringent editing and better story logic. I give it 2.5 stars rounded up to 3 for good intentions.