"Sometimes I have trouble filling out tests when the name part feels like a test too. . . . When I write letters, I love that you have to read all of my thoughts and stories before I say any name at all. You have to make it to the very end to know."
Rowan has too many secrets to write down in the pages of a diary. And if he did, he wouldnβt want anyone he knows to discover them. He understands who he is and what he likes, but itβs not safe for others to know. Now, the kids at school say heβs too different to spend time with. Heβs not the βright kindβ of girl, and heβs not the βright kindβ of boy. His mom ignores him. And at night, his dad hurts him in ways heβs not ready to talk about yet.
But Rowan discovers another way to share his secrets: letters. Letters he attaches to balloons and releases into the universe, hoping someone new will read them and understand. But when he befriends a classmate who knows what itβs like to be lonely and scared, even at home, Rowan realizes that there might already be a person he can trust right by his side.
Tender and wise, The Ship We Built is about the bravery it takes to stand up for yourselfβeven to those you loveβand the power of finding someone who treasures you for everything you are.