Some of the list of things that will not change include; Mom loves you more than anything, Dad loves you more than anything and we are still a family, but in a different way. These are some of the things that Bea is thinking about as her parents go through a divorce.

This middle grade novel has all of the heart that we have come to expect of a Rebecca Stead story. The characters are well developed and believable. The story will appeal to younger readers and many adults. And what I particularly liked about it was that it wasn't all gloom and doom or sunshine and kittens. It was a very real look at what happens with family dynamics after divorce. Readers should know that the parents split up because Dad is gay.

I loved this story of Bea and her family. I found myself wanting to spend more time with them days after I had read the last page! This is definitely going into my collection, and I can't wait to share it with my students!

This book tells the story of Bea whose life is changing due to her parents getting divorced and her dad remarrying a man. It goes back and forth through time as Bea shares stories about herself and how things got to where they are now.

I really enjoy when middle-grade books feature a character that acts their age and in which you can see their growth as they mature and encounter different obstacles. This was something that I felt was captured well in this book, I think it was great to see how Bea changed over time and how she recalled a lot of the big events in her life.

Something else that I enjoyed in this book was the way that emotions were captured and handled. I enjoyed the moments that Bea has with her therapist, Miriam, as it gives a great way to handle certain emotions and I think it begins to normalize therapy for those who are reading this. I like that this book addresses mental health and in a way, it addresses anxiety and normalizes worrying to a certain extent.

Something else that I really enjoyed was the way Mission not accepting his brother due to his sexuality was handled. I think the homophobia in this book was handled well and it was appropriate for the ages it is written for. It was written in a way that is realistic but also in a way that shows compassion and how you will have people who support you and those are the ones who matter.

I think this is a great book for grades 3-7 in which children may be facing difficult feelings and challenges in their life. It's nice to see that nothing in this book seems trivial and the therapist never dismisses Bea's feelings.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for the advance Kindle copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 for this 4.7.20 release. When Bea’s parents sat her down and announced that they were divorcing, they gave her a notebook. In it, they started a List Of Things That Will Not Change. This story, told by jumping back and forth over a couple years, highlights the changes and constants in her life. One of the highlights for me was Bea’s sessions with Miriam, her therapist. The advice given for managing her impulsive feelings and even just the fact that she attends therapy sessions will resonate with readers and I think go a long way to normalize mental health struggles. Given Bea’s age, I would recommend this book for upper elementary and young middle school readers. Grades 3-6 are the sweet spots for this one.

The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead is a middle-grade novel about Bea who is navigating life after her parent's divorce. One of the ways she works through this is the lists in her notebook. In these lists, she focuses on that even though her life is changing, there are some aspects that are unchangeable to document. Much of what Bea is navigating is changing relationships. Her dad is getting remarried, and Bea is excited that his fiance Jesse will have a new role in her life and also that he has a daughter. Bea has always wanted a sister. However, as you can imagine, this doesn't go exactly as Bea imagines. Bea also decides she's going to work through some other family situations, and that creates another interesting layer to this one. The piece I most appreciated about this story is Bea has a therapist, Miriam, she regularly sees. I liked the normalization of therapy to navigate changing family dynamics. This was a quick read, yet it also packed so many feels into the pages. Thanks to Wendy Lamb Books for the early look at this April 2020 release.

Bea's life changed suddenly when her parents sat her down to let her know they were getting divorced. They gave her a notebook to write a list and it was about all the things that would not change in her life. Her parents still loving her being the most important.

I really liked how the author told this story. Bea is such an adorable girl and I felt the story was authentic and real. I loved the characters. I loved how well we got to see how Bea saw her life. Her voice was perfect. I have kids around her age and I could see them having the same emotions. This book touches on divorce, LGBT parents, step-families, intolerance, but most importantly, love.

Thank you NetGalley and Wendy Lamb Books for an ARC for my honest opinion.

This was the first book I have read by Rebecca Stead, and I completely understand why she is a Newbery Award winning author. This heartfelt story focuses on Bea, a child of divorced parents, and a gay father. This story went incredibly deep into the heart of what it feels like to be a school aged kid, and beautifully portrayed all the very real anxieties and feelings that can be so hard to process at that age. I absolutely loved this book.

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary copy of THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE by Rebecca Stead in exchange for my honest review.***

4.5 STARS

Since her parents divorce four years ago, Bea keeps THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE to help keep her anxiety in check. She writes things like her parents will still love her on the list. Bea is thrilled when her dad announces his engagement to his boyfriend Jesse, and even happier to lead she’s getting a stepsister who loves clear across the country. Bea knows she and her same age sister Sonia will be share secrets and whisper to each other at night, just like the sisters she’s seen in tv. Everything is going to be perfect. Except it’s not.

Bea is a delightfully imperfect twelve-year-old, though her naïveté at times makes her seem younger making THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE idea for younger middle grade readers.

Rebecca Stead gave Bea a believable, engaging voice. Young Bea sees a therapist to help her deal with anxiety. Her parents support Bea and have a healthy, sometimes too perfect divorce. Bea has a lot of typical tween worries as she struggles to find her place in her family and in the world.

THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE would have been a five-star read except for an over-the-too homophobic incident at the wedding that seemed artificially placed for drama near the end of the book. Had a similar event happened earlier and felt more organic to the story, I would never mentioned it. At the 93% point of the book, it didn’t make sense which is the reason in rated down instead of up.

THE LIST OF THINGS THAT WILL NOT CHANGE is a great addition for libraries, classrooms and all readers, especially those looking for LGBT families.

Hopeful, heartfelt, and funny. Stead's representation of preteen anxiety in the face of (what feels like) earth-shattering change is spot-on. And I love how Bea's parents continue to love and care for each other and their daughter after divorce.

I will not offer my review online. This is a well-written book that legitimizes a lifestyle with which I do not agree (which is the author's right) while demonizing the people who do not agree with it. The author takes great care to validate any emotions any character has, with the exception of Mission, who does not agree with the idea of gay marriage and has trouble accepting his brother's homosexuality. This is the one character in the book who is not presented in a sensitive manner. Clearly this book is written from a place of bias against people whose beliefs do not include the validation of homosexual relationships.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an DRC of this title for review. All opinions are my own.

This was a sweet middle grade novel about a young girl who splits her time between her divorced parents, is excited for her dad's upcoming marriage to his boyfriend Jesse, hopes for a sister, and struggles to get over the mistakes she has made in the past. The story is told in an almost "vignette" style, with Bea narrating events from the past (2 years ago, 4 years ago, 6 months ago) as her dad plans his wedding. Along the way she has to come to terms with her feelings, her guilt, her anxiety, and what happens when what you hope for doesn't actually end up happening.

Highly recommend. This is a first purchase type of book. Recommended for grades 4-7.

I really enjoyed this heartwarming story about a young girl coming to grips with the changes in her life. It is beautifully written and feels so incredibly real that you could almost feel like you were spending time with Bea and her family.

Bea is a lovely young lady, who has issues, but she is learning to deal with them. I loved the supportive network that surrounds her, her parents, her babysitter Sheila, her dad’s boyfriend Jesse and her therapist, as well as her friends. So many supportive adults, I just loved seeing that. I also loved the fact that Bea is a worrier, which I think many kids are, but she is learning to deal with it. Plus she has eczema, which I don’t think I have run across in a book before. Her dreams of having a sister don’t quite work out at first, but she and Sonia are well on their way to becoming the sisters they both deserve.

The story is great. It is mostly just a small slice of Bea’s life since the divorce and leading up to her dad’s wedding. There are flashbacks/memories of things from her past that still bother her. But there is lots of things going on in the present as well. This is a quiet book, not a lot of fast action or excitement, but it is so heartwarming and emotional that I think middle grade kids will just enjoy it for that alone.

A wonderful book that I think kids will enjoy, especially the message of love and friendship.

I ended up having to DNF it. I tried to start reading it, but it was just really hard to get into . I am sure someone else will enjoy it though.

I have been a fan of Rebecca Stead's books for years. But this one for me, didn't quite hit the mark. The basic storyline is Bea's parents are getting divorced because her father fell in love with another man. To keep her life as normal as possible, they help her make a list of things in her life that will stay the same. The story unfolds from there with the ups and downs of her life with divorced parents. It's a very timely story and very relatable. But there is something in the way it's written that dumbs down Bea's experience and intelligence as a child who really does get it. Enjoyable for sure, but not my favorite by Stead.

I first found Stead through her Newbery Medal winning book, When You Reach Me. Rebecca Stead is back with another lovely and heartfelt Middle Grade novel. Full of charm, humor, compassion, and a delightful story, Stead manages to display her fantastic ability to delve right into the mind and heart of another young girl, just at the beginning of leaving childhood behind in yet another wonderful novel.

After the divorce of her parents a few years back, Bea is settling into a life divided (honestly, this book would serve well to adults, too—pre-divorce—on How to Divorce with Dignity and With Your Child's Interests First), when her father announces that he and his fiancé, Jesse, are planning on marrying. The absolute normalcy with which this marriage between two men was handled was such a breath of fresh air—and though a bit of trouble does find its way to them later in the book, there is never any doubt about the closeness and love between this unifying family.

As Bea leads the reader up to the wedding day, she shares various anecdotes and impactful emotional memories that bridge the story from divorce announcement to wedding day. Her anxieties, her worries, her guilt, her fears, and her joys are perfectly in tune with her age. Sweet without being sappy, endearing without being manipulative, I was especially happy to read about the supportive group, including a counselor/therapist, surrounding Bea on her journey. This is a book I will pass on to my kids, and I book I wish was around when I was the target age. Brilliant.

This is a great addition to the world of contemporary middle grade. Bea has a great support network of friends and adults in her life to keep her grounded and connected. The pacing of the story and Stead's language puts the reader right into the mix as Bea experiences all the changes in her world.

read this as an e-ARC from Netgalley.

What a sweet, big-hearted book! Rebecca Stead always hits her mark and this one is no different. Bea is about 12 years old, but most of the book takes is reflective of her 5th grade year. Bea's parents are divorced and gave her a notebook with a list of things that wouldn't change because of their divorce when she was 8. One thing that did change is that Dad is getting married to his boyfriend, Jesse. This means Bea is getting a sister and dealing with her family dynamic shifting at least a little. The thing I thought this book did beautifully was it's handling of the therapeutic process. Bea has a truly wonderful therapist who helps learn to unpack big feelings and grow. Some of my favorite parts of this book took place in Miriam's office.
This is a super fast read, but one that will linger in my mind for awhile. Thank you Rebecca Stead for writing books that help kids feel seen!
I recieved this galley from Wendy Lamb Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Another great Rebecca Stead book. It's a much needed representation for kids of a what therapy and dealing with stresses in life can be like. Bea is sweet and realistic and painfully open. It's also a heartwarming look at how a family changes and evolves and how you can both learn to deal with, accept, and enjoy that while still being sad sometimes too. There are no easy answers or ways of dealing with the many issues that come up in the book and I think that kind of honesty is so important for middle grade and middle school.

When Bea’s mom and dad got divorced she started a list of things that wouldn’t change - primary being that they all still loved each other and would always be a family. What has changed it that her dad started dating Jesse and was planning on getting married. While Bea was excited about having 2 dads she was nervous about meeting her new sister. She was also carrying a secret about something she did in anger. Can Bea learn to forgive and be forgiven and learn to be part of a new family?
Not gonna lie - the ending didn't work for me. I know there was a tie in back to the beginning of the book but the thread wasn't strong enough for me...
This was a solid middle grade fiction book.

The List of Things That Will Not Change was a super fast, enjoyable read! The main character is lovable right from the get go. and by the end you love her even more. Rebecca Stead does wonderful job writing from the viewpoint of a tween girl with anxiety dealing with her parents' divorce and everything that comes after.

The List of Things That Will Not Change just reinforces my opinion that Rebecca Stead is a master of middle grade fiction. Her characters are one-hundred percent wonderful, believable, and realistic. (And I read a lot of middle grade fiction as a homeschooling mama of three boys.)

This book provides a safe place to land for any child who has lived through divorce, is part of a blended family, or who suffers from anxiety. My parents stayed married, but I was a worrier--a child who suffered from childhood anxiety without having a name for what I was feeling. Stead gently guides the main character, Bea, (and the reader) through actual therapy techniques that provide relief and reassurance.

When her parents sat her down to explain they were divorcing, they gave Bea a green notebook with a list of things that would not change--first and foremost, their love for her would never, ever change. Now, several years later, she still carries that notebook with her, and her father is marrying his boyfriend, Jesse. For Bea, this is an exciting new development, because she will be gaining a sister--Jesse's daughter Sonia. But all is not smooth sailing, and both Bea and Sonia have big feelings they need help navigating.

This book takes big feelings and breaks them down, exposing the feelings behind the feelings, and works through the process of forgiveness--especially forgiving yourself. Family relationships, big changes, friendship, sisterhood--Stead handles it all with gentleness and compassion. It's another book I'll definitely be recommending.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.