Far Away
Wild road trip drives emotional story of lies, loss, love.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Lisa Graff's Far Away is about a 12-year-old girl, CJ, who goes on a road trip to find something she believes will keep her link to her dead mom alive. The novel is full of dicey situations (like narrator CJ's Aunt Nic making her living on the talking-to-the-dead circuit) and kids-don't-try-this-at-home moments (like when CJ teaches 16-year-old Jax to drive a stick shift so they can take off with her aunt's truck on an important quest). But there's a lot to love in this tale of young CJ's determination to stay connected with her mom, and how it leads to the discovery that pretty much everything she knows isn't exactly true. Also how everyone involved is dealing with some heavy stuff -- loss, betrayal, anxiety, abandonment, deception -- and mostly doing the best they can with what they've got. There's forgiveness, wisdom, and life lessons learned. There are harrowing, hilarious adventures, plus memorable, unusual characters, some real surprises, and moments of pure joy.
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What's the Story?
CJ Ames' mom died right after CJ was born. CJ's Aunt Nic has cared for her lovingly ever since -- and CJ still gets to talk to her mom all the time because Aunt Nic is a medium. But on CJ's 12th birthday, Aunt Nic tells her that her mom's going to a spirit world FAR AWAY -- meaning no more conversations. Determined to find the one physical object from her mom's life that will keep her tied to our world, CJ is soon trying to make sense of assorted signs and portents, which often seem to be leading her (and assorted people along the way) to crazy schemes, as well as places and discoveries better avoided.
Is It Any Good?
A 12-year-old's life on the tour circuit with her aunt who speaks to the dead is just the jumping-off place for Lisa Graff's imaginative, often funny tale of love, loss, forgiveness, and family. Far Away weaves a tangled web of emotions and things that may or may not be true, where characters do a lot of wrong things for what seem to be the right reasons (and vice versa), and there are surprising plot developments along the way. Then there's bright, strong-willed narrator andmain character CJ herself:
"'I'm teaching you to drive stick,' I say.
"'How do you know how to drive stick?' Jax's knuckles are gripped tight around the steering wheel. 'You're, like, ten.'
"'I'm twelve,' I reply. 'Today's my birthday. And your uncle taught me stick, same as he taught you.' I pause. 'Well, way better than he taught you, obviously. You're not giving it enough clutch. You gotta press all the way to the floor.'"
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about talking with the dead -- and stories about people who do it, or say they do. Why do you think this is a popular theme? How does this theme come up in other stories you know? How does Far Away compare?
Does Far Away give you any insight into what goes on behind the scenes of the shows you see on TV, especially the different kinds of work involved? Do you think you might like to work in television?
Do you know anyone who suddenly learned that something they'd always believed about themselves or their family wasn't really true? What happened? How did they deal with it?
Book Details
- Author: Lisa Graff
- Genre: Family Life
- Topics: Friendship
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Philomel
- Publication date: March 5, 2019
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 272
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: November 30, 2020
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