Canyon Country, CA -- (SBWire) -- 02/10/2014 --While a family sharing a bloodline was once a social norm, non-traditional and unconventional familial makeup is now commonplace. Still, such diversity often breeds confusion and unease among young people. In a powerful attempt to prove that the definition of family goes far beyond blood relatives and DNA, author T. Katz is delighted to announce her new book for children aged eight to twelve.
‘No Family Tree’ brings the issue of unconventional families to the forefront through a unique narrative that proves ‘family’ has no boundaries.
Synopsis:
Tessie Tremaine is mortified when her middle school English teacher, affectionately known as Mean Old Mrs. Parker, assigns a family tree project. As the daughter of parents who were both adopted, Tessie is mortified; she imagines a postage-stamp twig showing nothing but her four immediate family members.
As the rest of her classmates begin to create trees filled with many family members, Tessie agonizes over the thought of exposing what her parents call their own little family island. Desperate for help, Tessie turns to her honorary grandmother, who takes her to a rose show where she learns about the art of grafting roses. Suddenly, the family tree project takes on a whole new meaning.
In this poignant young adult tale, a girl struggling to find her roots soon discovers that family is much more than who she is related to by blood.
As the author explains, writing this book was an intimate and emotional experience and the tale was close to her heart for a very personal reason.
“It’s a crossover between fact and fiction, because both of my kids grew up in a house with parents who were adopted; one parent accepted their background and the other not so much. They’ve not had the traditional family tree, but I found a way to work around it. It isn’t easy to discover, at the age of almost fifty, that you were adopted at birth – but we’ve always built our lives around the belief that family is in no way confined to who you share DNA with,” says Katz.
Continuing, “These days, millions of families are made up of adopted children, in-laws and friends who are loved as family. This culture needs to be embraced, celebrated and the modern-day definition of family needs to be acknowledged by all. Young children often struggle with the idea of unconventional family, hence my efforts to reach out directly to them.”
With the book’s popularity expected to rise, interested readers are urged to purchase their copies as soon as possible.
‘No Family Tree’, published by Lulu, is available now:
Lulu Paperback: http://bit.ly/1b9FMwP
Lulu Ebook: http://bit.ly/1klbXMu
Nook: http://bit.ly/1eyJalh
For more information, visit the author’s official website: http://tkatz.com.
About T. Katz
An absorbent observer whose views about human nature, current affairs and life in general go down well with a cup of tea (or mug of coffee). Over time, she has collected stories and experiences, allowing them to brew and steep, until they are ready to be served… sometimes spicy, sometimes sweet and rarely, if ever, bitter.
