Twelve-year-old Della Kelly of Maryville, North Carolina, tries to come to terms with her mother's mental illness while her father struggles to save the farm from a record-breaking drought.

"Mo is used to his father's fits of rage. When Abbu's moods shake the house, Mo is safe inside his head, with his cherished folktales. The best way to respond is not to engage. Apparently, his mama knows that too-- which is why she took a job on the other side of the world, leaving Mo alone with Abbu. With Mama gone, the two move to Texas to live with Mo's aunt and cousin Rayyan. The two boys could not be more different. Rayyan is achievement-driven...