Far From the Tree

Winner of the 2017 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Winner of the 2018 PEN America Award for Young Adult LIterature

A New York Times Bestseller

Being the middle child has its ups and downs.

But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After placing her own baby for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—

Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.

And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.

Robin Benway’s beautiful interweaving story of three very different teenagers connected by blood explores the meaning of family in all its forms—how to find it, how to keep it, and how to love it.

PRAISE FOR FAR FROM THE TREE

Winner of the 2017 National Book Award for Young People's Literature

Winner of the 2018 PEN America Award for Young Adult Literature

New York Times Bestseller

A Junior Library Guild Selection

New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2017

ALA's Best Fiction for Young Adults 2017

NPR Best Books of 2017

PBS Best Books of 2017

Entertainment Weekly Top 10 YA Books of the Year

Barnes & Noble 25 Best YA Books of 2017

Los Angeles Times Best Books of 2017

Publishers Weekly Best YA Books of 2017

Kirkus Reviews Best YA Books of 2017

Boston Globe Best YA Books of 2017

Buzzfeed Best YA Books of 2017

Bustle Best YA Books of 2017

Paste Magazine Best 30 YA Books of 2017

Southern Living Magazine Best Children's Books of 2017

Chicago Public Library's Best Teen Fiction of 2017

"Chapters alternate through their third-person perspectives, straightforward structure and syntax delivering accessibility without sacrificing nuance or complexity....These are multifaceted characters, shaped by upbringing as well as their genes, in complicated families. From the first page to the last, this compassionate, funny, moving, compulsively readable novel about what makes a family gets it right."
– Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Writing in a shifting third-person narrative that is both nonjudgmental and deeply empathetic, Benway delves into the souls of these characters as they wrestle to overcome feelings of inadequacy, abandonment, and betrayal, gradually coming to understand themselves and each other."
– Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Benway writes with remarkable control and has the rare talent of almost vanishing as an author as she inhabits each character’s perspective. Grace, Maya and Joaquin leap off the page as living, breathing teenagers, individual down to their fingerprints. The novel is also a brilliant exercise in empathy."
– The New York Times

"If we are to judge from Ms. Benway's affecting novel–and I hope we are–the truth teenagers need to hear is that every human life has meaning, dignity, and relevance; that natural bonds matter; that no child is an island and no person's existence without consequence. These are brave sentiments in a throwaway culture....In the eloquent confidence of its life-embracing argument, the book really is something special."
– The Wall Street Journal

"Well-plotted and told from multiple perspectives, Far From the Tree pairs pitch-perfect teenage voices with an empathy for their real pain and complex struggles."
– Los Angeles Times

"With a well-imagined cast of secondary characters who add angst, humor, and depth, Benway adeptly leads readers through a tale of love, loss, and self-discovery. Expect to cry real tears at this one. Well-written and accessible, this is a must-purchase for all YA collections."
– School Library Journal

“Robin Benway's Far from the Tree is a deeply moving novel about families made and born. The trials the three teens face are always confronted directly and never diminished; their relationships, both new and old, are complicated and beautiful. This novel is a journey into the depths of familial relationships that rings true.”
– Shelf Awareness

“Far from the Tree is the kind of book that strikes close to a reader’s heart. I had to know what happened to Grace, Maya, and Joaquin, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Beautiful.”
– Ally Condie, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of The Matched Trilogy

“Far From the Tree is a touching story about the strength and love of unconventional families, and the unbreakable bond of siblings near and far. Robin Benway’s characters are authentically crafted, full of heart, hurt, and hope.”
– Brandy Colbert, author of Pointe and Little & Lion