That Missing Feeling — Amy Ludwig Vanderwater

Mia's life feels split in two after her parents get divorced—even her cat and dog now live in two separate places. When she's at her dad's house, Mia misses her mom's jokes and singing. And when she's at her mom's house, she misses her dad's laugh and cooking. Mia just can't quite shake that missing feeling. Sometimes that missing feeling makes her angry. And sometimes it makes her sad. One day when Mia visits her grandpa, he gives her a little blue notebook, saying, When I write about Grandma, I am sad, but I am happy too. She is gone, but you are here. Life changes, and writing helps me think about these changes. My notebook is a home for my heart. Mia keeps her notebook wherever she goes, writing about happy and sad memories. And soon her notebook becomes a way to balance that missing feeling. And it becomes a home for her heart too.