What I Believe    by Norma Fox Mazer Order:  USA  Can Harcourt, 2007 (2005) Hardcover, Paperback Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Lyn Seippel When Vicki's dad is first laid off from work, he spends all his time looking for another job, but starting over again is hard for an older executive who has spent twenty-eight years working for the same company. For a while not much changes in Vicki's life except that her dad is home all the time, sleeping more than usual and doing less around the house than when he had a demanding full-time job. When it becomes plain that he won't get work – or at least not the kind of work he left - he becomes increasingly despondent. Vicki's mother takes over, selling the house Vicki has lived in all of her life, and moving them into an apartment in the city, but the worst is yet to come. Vicki finds a friend at her new school but when she is in trouble she can't bring herself to confide in her. She knows she should go to her mother, but she can't add to her mother's worries when she is working so hard to keep them above water. Told in poems and free flowing narrative verses, this story moves quickly. Readers will empathize with Vicki who tries hard to be normal while she hides her family's financial struggles and her dad's depression. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews