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Behind the Book: Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better

We first met Quag in author Mylisa Larson's Playing Through the Turnaround. Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better is filled with wry humor and sharp insight that captures the distinctive voice of a young teen forced by his mother’s unstable mental health to recalibrate his outlook and build a new life with found family.

Quagmire Tiarello prides himself on not needing anything from anybody. Sure, his mom is skipping work again and showing signs of going into one of her full-out spins, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. He’s used to her up-and-down moods, even if this time it feels a little different.

Then his mom disappears, and Quag must find shelter with an uncle he didn't know he had. Should he come clean about his mother’s mental health challenges? Or can he use his carefully honed skills to bluff long enough to find his mom and get home? Readers will root for Quag as he finds himself rethinking his world and learning to accept help from the people who love him.

 

About the Creator

Mylisa Larsen was born in Idaho, has lived in eight states and two countries, and currently resides in upstate New York with her family. She is the author of several picture books, including How to Put Your Parents to Bed, and the novels Playing Through the Turnaround and Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better. mylisalarsen.com.

Praise for Quagmire Tiarello Couldn't Be Better!

 
"[An] amazing story told with deep understanding and touched with humor. Buy it, read it, talk about it, and share the love by passing it on."
  — Booklist (starred review)
 
“Filled with humor and poignant truth-telling.”
  — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
 
"[A] gorgeously written story that centers a teen yearning for stability and support."
  — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
"The third-person narration showcases Quag’s inherent quirks and singular anxious charm. But the friends here are true ones, giving him grace and showing up when Quag finally admits that his mom needs help—and so does he. Readers will appreciate the occasional bird wisdom as well as the thoughtful and heartbreakingly realistic ways parent-child dynamics are presented without blame or judgment but rather honest considerations of needs."
  — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)
 
“Thought-provoking. Moving and quick-paced, this novel gives readers valuable insight into a character who normally avoids attention and thus sympathy too.”
  — Horn Book (starred review)
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