Parents' Guide to The In-Between

THE IN-BETWEEN is where Katie Hendrich has spent much of her life. In-between homes, schools, and friendships. "I'm only thirteen but I've done a lot of living and moving, finding that all things eventually fall apart, in time, even me, especially me, no matter how well packed -- and that's okay, because it leaves space for better things to come together." Katie, her mother, brother Josh and sister Haley return to Atlanta from her grandfather's funeral to find they're being evicted. They move into an extended stay motel with a tiny kitchen, a single queen sized bed, and a rollaway bed for Josh. They've already moved dozens of times, sometimes for the promise of a new job for her mother that never worked out. With some moves there was time for proper goodbyes and time to pack treasured possessions, while others were rushed and "leave you sobbing in a new bedroom full of nothing ..." The thought of returning to school feels "apocalyptic" to Katie, as the motel is located out of district and she's terrified someone will find out. She doesn't even tell her closest friends where she's now living. Katie, John, and Haley get a break from the motel when they spend every other weekend with their father. Their parents divorced when Katie was 5 and he now lives in the Atlanta suburbs with his new wife. When Katie asks why they can't stay with him and move into the home's empty bedrooms, he says her mother won't agree to it.