In bed that night, Megan tossed and turned and couldn’t sleep. The thought of meeting her mother was very scary. Just about the scariest thing she’d ever had to face. She got out of bed, turned on the light and looked in the mirror. What would her mother see, she wondered, when she saw her daughter for the first time?
Megan is happy living with her grandparents, until a letter from the mother she thought was dead shatters her existence. Why didn’t her mother ever let her know she was still alive? How can she trust a woman who she has no memories of and who hasn’t made contact in all these years?
Eventually, Megan agrees to visit her mother in Japan. But fitting in to a family that includes her mother’s new husband and two young sons is not easy. To Megan it seems that everything is done differently. Worse, her step-father seems to hate her, and her mother is unwell. When Megan learns that her mother wants her to stay in Japan, she feels trapped.
Megan’s Journey is a story about family and about adapting to different cultures. Megan must deal with many challenges as she gets to know her new family. Her mother and step-father also have issues they must resolve. Readers aged 11 to 14 will be drawn in to Megan’s story.
Megan’s Journey, by June Keir
Loranda Publishing, 2004