The sensitive and thought-provoking upper middle-grade novel Rabbit Rabbit takes a deep, age-appropriate dive into Covid-era social politics and family conflict, highlighting systemic racism, homophobia, religion, and reproductive rights.
The families of 12-year-old cousins Alice and Bethany (aka Bee) have been estranged for the last seven years. When they come together for a family party, the girls know they're "not supposed to talk about racism or religion or elections or money" because their mothers--who are sisters--have "different values." The girls resist the separation and begin to concoct a scheme that will force the families to "hash things out" once and for all. Along the way, the cousins adopt a tradition of texting two rabbit emojis to each other for luck; this becomes a way to reconnect, even if Alice and Bee clash in other areas. When the Covid pandemic strikes, it looks like the plan might collapse, but Alice and Bee are not ready to give up on Operation "Mom Ambush."
Two-time Geisel Honoree and Edgar Award-winner Dori Hillestad Butler (Dear Beast; King & Kayla series) and Sunshine Bacon (Antipodes) each write one of the two perspectives of Alice and Bee in this powerful and often funny exploration of a scenario that has become all too common. Butler and Bacon show how a little curiosity and a lot of determination might be the key to healing even the deepest of rifts. Rabbit Rabbit is bold and sensitive and spotlights the necessity of compassion, inquisitiveness, and openness. --Emilie Coulter, freelance writer and editor