Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Far From Fair by Elana K. Arnold - ADVISABLE


Arnold, Elana K. Far From Fair, 229 pgs. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016. $16.99. 

Language: G (0 swears 0 “f”); Mature Content: PG (death); Violence: G.  

11-year-old Odette Zyskowski has a list of things that aren’t fair. Her Dad quit his job, her parents are having “marriage trouble”, and Grandma Sissy is gravely ill. Now they’ve sold Odette’s house, bought an RV and are driving up to Washington to help.  No one asked Odette how she feels! Her little brother Rex thinks it’s all a great adventure, her parents act like it’s fun, but Odette’s life has changed and no one seems to care.  It’s far from fair.  

There is a lot going on in this book, but it weighs more heavily on Odette than the reader. Her brother seems to have autism (not explicit but his behavior is typical) her grandmother’s end of life choice may be upsetting to the elementary students, but it is handled with dignity and respect.  

MS - ADVISABLE  Lisa Librarian

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