Content levels
Trigger warnings
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
Erin Law and her friends are Damaged Children. At least that is the label given to them by Maureen, the woman who runs the orphanage that they live in. Damaged, Beyond Repair because they have no parents to take care of them. But Erin knows that if they care for each other they can put up with the psychologists, the social workers, the therapists -- at least most of the time. Sometimes there is nothing left but to run away, to run for freedom. And that is what Erin and two friends do, run away one night downriver on a raft. What they find on their journey is stranger than you can imagine, maybe, and you might not think it's true. But Erin will tell you it is all true. And the proof is a girl named Heaven Eyes, who sees through all the darkness in the world to the joy that lies beneath.From the Hardcover edition.
Is Heaven Eyes appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
Three orphaned children run away on a raft and meet a mysterious girl who helps them see joy despite their painful pasts. Contains themes of abandonment and emotional neglect in the foster system, but ultimately hopeful.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include child abuse, emotional abuse, and abandonment (see the full list above).
Who'll love this
Kids will connect with characters who refuse to be defined by labels and find magic in an unlikely friendship during a daring river adventure.