Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

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Screenwise Verdict

This is the kind of middle grade book that sticks with you—the kind teachers love and kids remember years later, even if it makes them cry.

Stoddard doesn't sugarcoat grief or guilt, but she also doesn't drown readers in it. Rain's journey from Vermont to NYC, from closed-off to open, from buried secrets to shared burdens, is beautifully rendered. The book sneaks in important lessons about privilege and homelessness without feeling preachy, largely because Rain's relationship with a woman facing eviction feels genuine rather than constructed.

The caveat: this is emotionally demanding. A child carrying responsibility for her brother's death is heavy stuff, and while the book handles it with care, it's not for every kid. Sensitive readers or those dealing with their own losses might find it overwhelming. But for the right reader at the right time, this is powerful, empathy-building literature that does what great middle grade should: helps kids understand that their feelings—even the hard, complicated ones—are valid and survivable.

Age Fit

Best for mature 9-12 year olds ready for emotional depth and complex themes. The grief and guilt elements require emotional readiness—this isn't a light read, but it's deeply rewarding for kids who can handle the weight.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

88

Tackles grief, guilt, and family stress with emotional honesty while modeling compassion and community connection. Rain's journey toward opening up and letting people help her is emotionally healthy. The book addresses homelessness and gentrification with age-appropriate sensitivity. Some family conflict (parents fighting) and heavy emotional weight around a sibling's death, but handled with care.

Imaginative

72

The Vermont-to-NYC setting shift provides vivid sensory detail and cultural contrast. Rain's internal world of guilt and grief is well-rendered, and the book explores social issues (homelessness, gentrification) in accessible ways. However, this is more of an emotional realism story than one that sparks creative play or world-building—it's grounded, not fantastical.

Safe

75

The core subject matter—a child carrying guilt over her brother's death—is heavy and could be triggering for kids who've experienced loss. The book handles it sensitively, but it's not light reading. Parents fighting and the weight of Rain's secret create emotional tension throughout. No inappropriate content, but the grief theme means this isn't a book you hand to a sensitive 8-year-old without preparation.

Enriching

86

Exceptional at building empathy around grief, guilt, privilege, homelessness, and gentrification. Multiple reviews call it 'honest' and 'gut-wrenching' while also 'hopeful.' Provides meaningful insight into how secrets weigh on us and how community can help us heal. The social justice elements (understanding homelessness through Rain's friendship with a woman losing her apartment) are woven naturally into the story. Strong emotional intelligence development.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Emotionally honest exploration of sibling loss and survivor's guilt that doesn't talk down to kids
Introduces privilege, homelessness, and gentrification through authentic relationships rather than lectures
Rain is a deeply relatable protagonist—flawed, hurting, but ultimately willing to let people in
Kirkus Best Book recognition and strong reviews from School Library Journal praising its hope alongside heartache
The Vermont-to-NYC move provides rich sensory detail and culture shock that grounds the emotional journey

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What to Watch For

This is heavy—a child carrying guilt over her brother's death is the central thread, so not for kids still processing their own losses
Parents fight more after the move, adding family tension to Rain's internal struggle
The ending solution feels slightly too neat according to some reviewers, though the emotional journey remains authentic
Best for kids ready to sit with difficult feelings rather than needing constant action or humor

Conversation Starters

"Rain thinks keeping her secret will protect her parents. Have you ever kept something to yourself because you thought it would help someone else?"
"The book shows how Rain's family experiences NYC differently than people who've lived there forever. What do you think it means when a neighborhood changes?"
"Rain meets someone experiencing homelessness and it changes how she sees the city. Has meeting someone ever shifted how you understood something big?"
"Rain's parents are struggling but in different ways. How do you think families can help each other when everyone's hurting?"

Deep Dive

The "Bridge to Terabithia" of the 2020s

If your kid is used to the breezy, diary-style humor of Wimpy Kid or the high-stakes magic of Wings of Fire, this is going to be a massive tonal shift. It belongs on the shelf with the heavy hitters of contemporary middle-grade realism—think the emotional weight of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax or the quiet intensity of Lisa Graff.

What makes Right as Rain stand out is how it handles the "secret." In many books for this age group, a secret is a plot device to create a twist. Here, the secret is a physical weight. Rain’s belief that she is responsible for her brother’s death isn't just a sad backstory; it’s the lens through which she views every interaction in her new New York City life. It’s "gut-wrenching," as School Library Journal points out, but it’s rarely manipulative. It feels like a genuine portrait of how a twelve-year-old processes a tragedy they can't quite articulate to the adults in the room.

The Vermont-to-NYC friction

The move from rural Vermont to a cramped apartment in NYC provides the perfect external chaos to match Rain's internal mess. Stoddard excels at sensory details that make the city feel like a character—the noise, the smells, and the sheer volume of people that make Rain feel even more invisible.

This isn't just a "fish out of water" story for the sake of comedy. The setting is how the book introduces bigger themes of privilege and homelessness. Rain’s friendship with a woman facing eviction is the heart of the book’s social commentary. While some critics at Dogear Diary have noted that the resolution to these subplots can feel a bit too pat—the classic middle-grade trope where a kid’s clever idea solves a complex systemic problem—the emotional buildup to those moments is earned. It gives kids a way to look at gentrification and poverty through a lens of individual compassion rather than a dry social studies lecture.

Who should skip this (for now)

This is a 4.5-star book on Amazon for a reason: it’s excellent. But it’s a specific kind of excellent. If your kid is currently navigating their own fresh grief or if they use reading primarily as an escape from high-stress school days, this might be a "not right now" pick.

It’s a heavy lift. The parents are visibly struggling, the marriage is strained, and the anniversary of a sibling's death looms over every chapter. It’s a "family read-aloud" candidate only if you’re prepared to pause and talk through some very dark feelings. For the kid who loves "sad books" or who is starting to notice the inequities in their own city, it’s a powerhouse. For a kid who just wants to see a dragon fight a robot, it will feel like homework.

If they liked this, try these next

If this book clicks, you’re looking for "realistic fiction with a soul."

The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin (for the "grief as a mystery" vibe)
Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate (for the intersection of childhood and poverty)
Just Like Jackie (Stoddard’s other major work, which hits similar notes of family resilience)

This is the kind of book that builds empathy by forcing the reader to sit in the uncomfortable silence of Rain’s guilt. It’s not a fast read, but it’s a permanent one.

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Right as Rain Lindsey Stoddard