"Cynthia Hand is the master of pulling at your heartstrings. The How & the Why tells both sides of an adoption story with love, compassion, and care." Brigid Kemmerer, New York Times bestselling author of Letters to the LostA poignant exploration of family and the ties that bind, from New York Times bestselling author Cynthia Hand.Cassandra McMurtrey has the best parents a girl could ask for; theyve given Cass a life she wouldnt trade for the world. She has everything she needsbut she has questions, too. Like, to know who she is. Where she came from. Questions her adoptive parents cant answer, no matter how much they love her. But eighteen years ago, someone wrote Cass a series of letters. And they may just hold the answers Cass has been searching for.Alternating between Casss search for answers and letters from the pregnant teen who placed her for adoption, this emotionally resonant narrative is the perfect read for fans of Nina LaCour and Jandy Nelson.

 

 

This book is aimed at children at US 8th grade+.

This book has been graded for interest at 13 years.

There are 480 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2021 by HarperCollins Publishers Inc .

Cynthia Hand Cynthia Hand grew up in southeast Idaho and now lives in southern California with her husband and son. She teaches creative writing courses at Pepperdine University.