{"id":443,"date":"2025-09-29T11:58:03","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T15:58:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ronniwrites.net\/?p=443"},"modified":"2025-09-29T12:01:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T16:01:26","slug":"the-in-between","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ronniwrites.net\/index.php\/2025\/09\/29\/the-in-between\/","title":{"rendered":"The In-Between: A Memoir in Verse by Katie Van Heidrich"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Summary<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In the early 2000s, thirteen-year-old Katie Van Heidrich had already moved more times than she could count. Some moves came slowly, with time to pack carefully, while others happened in a matter of minutes. After returning home from a funeral, Katie and her siblings discover that their landlord has evicted them, forcing the family into an Extended Stay America motel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Katie tries to balance middle school drama with the much larger challenges of homelessness, poverty, and life in \u201cthe in-between.\u201d Told in verse, her memoir, The In-Between<\/a><\/em>, captures the realities of growing up between homes, parents, cultures, and childhood and adolescence, all while searching for stability and hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Worked: <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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  • Lyrical writing<\/strong> \u2013 The verse format gives Katie\u2019s story immediacy and emotion. Her words are spare but powerful, often stopping me in my tracks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Raw honesty<\/strong> \u2013 This isn\u2019t a sugarcoated version of poverty or instability. Katie\u2019s story feels authentic, painful, and deeply moving.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Relatability<\/strong> \u2013 Even while facing extraordinary challenges, Katie still deals with middle school friendship drama, first crushes, and sibling conflicts. That balance makes her story resonate with young readers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Hopeful tone<\/strong> \u2013 Despite all the hardship, there is resilience and light woven throughout, which makes it accessible for middle grade readers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    What Might be Hard for Middle School Readers:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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    • Emotional heaviness<\/strong> \u2013 The memoir can feel overwhelming at times. There are so many layers of instability, grief, and cultural tension in one story. That said, I think that\u2019s exactly the point, and it will spark important conversations in classrooms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Formatting <\/strong>\u2013 Some students might struggle with the verse format if they\u2019re not used to it, but I believe the short, accessible sections will pull most of them in.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Final Thoughts:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      As a former middle school teacher, I was blown away by this book. The In-Between<\/em> is both heartbreaking and hopeful, offering a window into a life many students will recognize and others need to understand. It\u2019s a memoir that reads like fiction, making it both captivating and relatable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      My Rating: 5\/5 stars
      I highly recommend this for middle school classrooms and libraries. Katie\u2019s story will resonate with students navigating their own \u201cin-betweens,\u201d whether that\u2019s home life, friendships, or identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Summary In the early 2000s, thirteen-year-old Katie Van Heidrich had already moved more times than she could count. Some moves came slowly, with time to pack carefully, while others happened in a matter of minutes. After returning home from a funeral, Katie and her siblings discover that their landlord has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":447,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[103,67,100,24,101,19],"class_list":["post-443","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books-for-middle-school","tag-book-in-verse","tag-books-for-middle-schoolers","tag-katie-van-heidrich","tag-middle-grade","tag-the-in-between","tag-young-hoosiers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t