*Designated an Our Choice title by the Canadian Children's Book Centre"

15-year-old Nicole has spent half her life wanting to ask her mother that question. Now she's going to get the chance, travelling from small-town Nova Scotia to Japan to spend time with this woman who is at the same time a stranger and a bitter-sweet memory.

At home, Nicole's life is getting complicated by new friends, new feelings, and her father's impending remarriage. In Japan, she experiences the natural beauty and cultural wonders of this ancient land, and a nerve-wracking but powerful understanding of, and reconnection with, her mother.

In both places, Nicole discovers she is not as alone as she fears. Angels - kind, caring people - appear to help her with advice and their loving support. Wenda Young takes the reader through the emotional life of a young woman, and the landscape of Japan, with powerful imagery and unforgettable insight.