In her mind’s eye, Natalie envisioned the other kids’ drawings. Most of them featured a mom, a dad, and a brother or sister or two, always with a lovely house in the background. There were a few Mrs. Blessing called “blended families,” which sounded very nice, like a special drink at the Rainbow Soda Fountain down the street. And then there was Calvin with his two daddies, and Anson with his two mommies, which wasn’t a big deal on account of this being San Francisco and all. No one would ever say anything mean about families like that. Mom was always pointing out that lots of kids had single moms. Still, when it came to Natalie, there were questions.

“How come you have a grandfather but no father?” she’d been asked.

“Who’s that Chinese lady?” Kayla had demanded.

“She lives with us,” Natalie explained.

“Is she, like, your maid? Your nanny?”

Most of the kids at Natalie’s school had both maids and nannies, because this was an Expensive Neighborhood and they all lived in houses or even mansions, not apartments tucked above a bookshop.

“Well?” Kayla had prodded.

Natalie had wanted so badly to lie, but she was really bad at lying. “She’s my grandfather’s friend.”

“Like his girlfriend?”

“I guess so.” For some reason, she had been embarrassed by the conversation. She looked up at her mom and decided not to mention that particular exchange.

“No one gets to tell you what to think or how to feel,” Mom said. “That’s your choice.”

“Then why do I feel like a freak? ’Cause I sure as heck wouldn’t choose that.”

Her mother looked at her. Then a spark lit her eyes. “Over here,” she said, gesturing at the children’s section.

Oh boy. A Book Talk, her mother’s specialty. Natalie finished her cookie and chased it down with a final gulp of milk, then washed her hands at the sink. She did like books and reading, but sometimes she just wanted to talk to her mom. She listened, though, because her mother never failed to find the exact-right perfect book, and she read it in a way that made you want to listen forever.

As always, her mother was right. There was a book for everything. Somewhere in the vast Library of the Universe, as Natalie thought of it, her mom could find a book that embodied exactly the things Natalie was worrying about.

And sure enough, Maya Running, about a girl from India whose family didn’t fit in, did make her feel better. Like she wasn’t the only kid in the world with a different kind of family. You’re never alone when you’re reading a book, Mom liked to say.