Why Can't I Be You

Gr 4–7—When Claire Ladd overhears her friend Ronan's joke, "You know you live in a trailer park when…", she is knocked senseless. She and Ronan both know very well what trailer park life is like, as they both live in one. During the summer before turning 12, Claire's world sees an earthquake of changes, shaking her once simplistic life to near shambles. When her best friend Brianna moves into a mansion, complete with a pool and basement theater, the two begin to notice the major differences between them. Next, Eden, Brianna's older cousin, waltzes into town like a runway model with style, perfectly pink lips, and amazing hair, threatening not just Claire's self-confidence but also her friendships. Walker vividly describes trailer park life, showing the good with the bad, from Ronan's dysfunctional father to the beauty and strength of the close relationships created in Twin Pines Trailer Park.