realistic fi – One Chapter

4.5 stars Children’s Picture Book

Are you really sorry? Sometimes it takes some time to really be sorry for something you did. I think that is what really is happening in this children’s book which takes place in a classroom. The teacher is having Jack write a letter of apology to Zoe for something he did, and I don’t think he’s ready.

Jack’s first attempts at the letter are short and I mean short. He crumples that attempt and tosses it into the garbage. The next couple attempts at a letter include more words, but you can see that Jack is not really sorry for what he did. He is just making his teacher happy by attempting to write this apology.

Each page of this book shows Jack’s attempts of writing an apology note to Zoe and you can feel his mood start to change. By watching the illustrations in the book, you can also see how Jack watches Zoe and how he feels towards her. At first, he is mad but later he starts to miss his friendship with her, and he understands that he must apologize to be her friend again.

I like how Jack has to work through his feelings in this book and how Zoe watches his throughout the day. I liked how the teacher encouraged Jack and helped him throughout the process.

The illustrations supported the message the book tried to convey, and I liked the color-scheme that was used. 4.5 stars

5 stars Fiction Book in Verse Children’s/ Middle School

And then, WOW! This book really packs a punch, and I loved it so much. Written in verse, this book is powerful as it deals with issues that many young adults unfortunately must face today. It’s just not the poverty that Joe needs to adjust to but it’s also the abandonment, the insecurity, and the loneliness that just keeps on popping up in his life. When will it ever end?

Mom gets “the itch” and before you know it, she’s out the door. Sometimes its weeks, months, or just a few days, that she’ll be gone. They lived with Joe’s grandmum in her house until she lost it on legal matters for Joe’s mom. Now, Joe and grandmum are living in a car and using food stamps to eat. My heart was breaking as Joe fought to use public bathroom facilities to maintain his appearance. They’re hungry but they’re doing the best that they can. As he tries to go to school, he struggles to hide his life from others that are around him. One of his best friends finds them a place to stay and finally, things change direction.

The mobile homeowner, Uncle Frankie is an amazing person, and he becomes a fantastic friend to Joe. One obstacle is taken down but the others remain. One moment in this book which has stuck with me is when Joe wins at Jeopardy in his classroom. Able to take any prize out the storage closet, which is filled with games and puzzles, Joe picks……. Yes, this is a storage closet so it’s also storing cleaning items and extra supplies. Joe picks out “an enormous box of toilet paper.” This is a 6^th grade boy, and he picks toilet paper as a prize. Yep, that got me……..

I can’t tell you much more about what happens inside the pages of this emotional read but I loved so much about it. I love how Joe gathered strength from within to keep moving forward. From everything that happened in his life, Joe could have lost hope or retaliated but he didn’t. His friends stood by him, and he learned many lessons along the way.

This is such a great read, one in which I could read it again and again. Read it because this is real folks, this is what is happening all around us whether you want to see it or not.

“Every time I hugged Grandmum,

I’d breathe in her scent.

When I miss her a lot,

like tonight,

I open the bag in the back of my closet

where I keep Grandmum’s quilt

and breathe in her scent.

I call it, “Grandmum in a bag.””